


Perfect Strangers

by pockeii



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Lives, Amnesia, Angst, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, Spoilers, rating may change based on how I feel later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-09 23:48:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17414876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pockeii/pseuds/pockeii
Summary: As far as Niijima Goro knows, he is the younger brother of a hardboiled yet overbearing defense attorney and an aspiring police commissioner. But his circumstances leave him with countless unanswered questions, like why Makoto won’t let him meet her friends, and why he can’t seem to find himself in any family photos.Sae will go to hell and back to keep him from remembering the truth, no matter how determined the leader of the Phantom Thieves is.





	1. Unfamiliar

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I got back in the writing mood. I wrote this faster than I ever wrote anything, I think. This concept just came to me at some point, and I'll keep writing it as long as the muse is with me! 
> 
> I definitely did not proofread this.
> 
> Basically, this is a post-canon fix-it where Akechi wakes up without any memory of his life thus far. Sae is the first to discover him, and she goes to extreme lengths to be allowed to take him in and protect him from the fate Yaldabaoth has unfairly doomed him to. Makoto decides to help her, despite her previous reservations against Akechi. They are determined to keep his memories from being triggered again. To their horror, Akira surprises them by returning to finish his studies at Shujin Academy.
> 
> EDIT: Had to make some changes because I wrote this as if Makoto was going to be attending her last year of high school, when in actuality Japanese schools only have three years, so she'd be off to university by now. I'm forcing her to stay home for plot-convenient reasons.

Niijima Makoto is used to a silent dinner table. Before her sister became a defense attorney she was rarely home for dinner anyway, but when they did have an opportunity to sit down and eat together they hardly spoke. For the most part, Sae’s eyes would be trained on her phone as she continued to work off the clock. That phone was the ultimate barrier between them, Makoto thought to herself.

After everything that happened during her last year of high school, things took a drastic turn for the better. Almost every night, the two sisters would eat together, yet still the silence persisted. But it wasn’t the same cold, intense silence they’d shared before; It was a comfortable silence, a moment of peace they no longer took for granted. They’d chat as they cooked and as they cleaned their plates, but when they sat to eat, they would both go quiet. It was the most peaceful dynamic they had reached since their father passed away.

Tonight, an unfamiliar brand of silence hangs in the air. Sae’s dinner is getting cold. But Makoto isn’t alone.

“Did… did Sae-san say she’d be working late tonight?” The boy across from her asks softly, his chopsticks picking absentmindedly at his rice.

Makoto tenses a bit, but she tries to bury the reaction as quickly as possible. She didn’t expect her sister to be late, not on the boy’s first night living in their home. She already sent a text and got no response. In truth, she’s fairly worried, but she fights showing any signs of it. Instead she gives a sad smile and shrugs a bit. “Some work probably just snuck up on her.” That’s a preposterous lie, she thinks immediately. Sae is always on top of her work, nothing ever took her by surprise. “She’ll be home any minute, I’m sure,” she pauses momentarily, her eyes trained on the movements of the boy’s chopsticks, which stay in the bowl for the most part. “You don’t have to be so formal, by the way. I just call her sis.”

“What did I call her?” He asks.

For what feels like the hundredth time that day, Makoto has to catch herself before she says something inconsistent. Her mind races to think of a lie that would make sense. “Sae,” she says quickly. “You just called her Sae.” Every lie that came out of her mouth felt like a gamble. Would he take it or would he fight it? This time, he takes it, just like every other time. But the fear of the other reaction still haunts Makoto with every new lie she’s forced to weave at a moment’s notice.

Silence falls over them again. Despite being used to it, Makoto can’t let it fester. It’s just too uncomfortable. “Are you not hungry, Goro?”

Placing his chopsticks on the table, Goro lets out a soft huff. “I just… I thought that coming back home would feel more familiar to me. But it feels like I’ve never been here before,” he says it slowly, as if worried he’ll offend her. “Having  _no_  memory of this place, even though I’ve lived here for so long… I didn’t think it would feel like this.”

“But didn’t you say earlier that your room felt familiar to you?” Makoto would rather be talking about anything else right now, but avoiding the subject will only make things worse. “Just give it some time. You’ll get used to it again.”

She tries to meet Goro’s eyes, but they’re glued to the table.

“Goro,” Makoto leans forward, tilting her head to get him to look at her. “I know that… Sis and I feel like strangers to you right now. You might have a hard time trusting us…”

His head snaps up at her words. “No, no, that’s not it,” he stammers. “I-I trust you.”

“It’s okay if you don’t.”

“I do!” He insists.

Makoto purses her lips together and nods. “Okay,” she says, “Well, whatever you’re feeling right now about us, we’ll do our best to make you feel at home again.” She tries not to make her next words sound forced. “You’re our brother, after all.”

Goro nods simply and snaps up his chopsticks, scooping up some rice and finally eating again. Makoto breathes out in relief and continues with her meal. The silence is still too unsettling for her to leave it alone. “Maybe we could play a game of chess after dinner. You used to beat me every time, maybe you haven’t lost your skills yet.” That isn’t a lie. She has memories of them having quick games of chess together on days where she’d bring lunch for her sister at work. She’ll have to draw from those small, seemingly insignificant memories in order to keep this up, she figures.

A small nod from Goro builds her confidence. Perhaps this won't be so hard after all.

They both flinch in surprise at the distant sound of the front door opening and closing. “Sorry, sorry, I’m home!” Sae’s voice echoes from the hall. She enters the room through the opening behind Goro, placing her briefcase by the couch. “I forgot my charger and my phone ended up dying, otherwise I would have saved you the trouble of making dinner for me.”

“It’s alright,” Makoto laughs a bit. She gestures to the free plate of food next to Goro. “It might be a little cold, so heat it up first, okay?”

Sae’s hand comes down onto the boy’s head as she passes him, giving him a quick pat before grabbing her plate. “It’s good to have you back,” Her tone is warmer than Makoto is used to, “If I hadn’t been held up at work, I would have suggested we go to a sushi place. You always hounded me about taking you to a restaurant without a conveyor belt.”

This earns a small smile from Goro, much to Makoto’s surprise. It seems his tastes haven’t changed. Perhaps he retained memories of his likes and dislikes, or maybe they were just ingrained in his personality. That was rather convenient for the two sisters. What surprises her more, however, is Sae’s incredible acting. Maybe it’s easier for her to act friendly around him considering they worked together for so long.

“I have to leave early tomorrow, but I’ll be back early as well,” Sae explains. She takes her plate out of the microwave and comes to sit at the table. “You’re both free to sleep in if you want, but you and I,” she draws a line between Goro and herself with her chopsticks, “need to have a conversation about school when I get back. We only have a week until the year starts up again, and I’m not letting you laze around.” She raises an eyebrow when she finally notices the meal in front of her. “Also, why are there no vegetables on these plates? Where are we, Yoshinoya?”

This is strange. This whole situation is beyond anything Makoto ever imagined. But somehow, Sae’s light nagging brings an air of calm to the room. It may not be the quiet, comfortable dinner she was used to, but the peaceful dynamic of theirs hasn’t quite changed. Not even while they’re joined by a boy who needs to believe he’s been living with them his entire life.

After a few minutes of Sae attempting to lighten the mood, Goro asks her, “Am I going to Makoto's high school?” The younger sister jolts a bit, her eyes darting toward Sae in alarm. If Sae notices her, she pretends not to as she answers.

“I’m not sure yet,” she admits. “Shujin is a good school, but I think you’d benefit more from a program with a smaller student body. Your last school is out of the question, but I’m looking into others like it. Of course, there’s the issue of what year you’ll be placed in. You were a pretty smart kid, but with your situation, you might be at a disadvantage now. We’ll have to sit down together and figure out what you still… know, academically speaking.” Makoto doesn’t miss how Sae skirts around the word  _remember_. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow, like I said.”

Makoto’s shoulders relax a bit, but it only takes a glance to tell Goro is unsatisfied. He probably has questions, thousands of them, but he’s asked so many at this point, been fed so much information all at once, processing it all must be extremely difficult. Eventually, he releases his shoulders as well, letting go of the tension and saving it for another day. Makoto takes the opportunity to change the subject.

“Maybe instead of sleeping in tomorrow, we can go cycling. The sakura are in full bloom, and it would be a good opportunity to get you re-acquainted with the city.” Once again, she takes advantage of distant memories, drawing from them to figure out what the boy she hardly knows used to like to do. His cycling hobby was also given away by the well-used bike she and Sae found on his apartment balcony, when they were moving his stuff into their father’s old room.

Sae’s eyes light up at the idea, but Goro’s sucks in a breath and stiffens. Suddenly he stands and swiftly picks up his nearly-full plate and bowl. “I’m really tired, actually,” he says in a soft yet rushed voice, his eyes avidly avoiding contact. “I think I’ll go to bed now.” Before either sister can interject, he darts to the kitchenette with his food. He almost leaves it on the counter, but seems to think better of it and picks up the plate again. Suddenly he’s at a loss for what to do. He notices Makoto’s eyes following his movements and his face goes beet red, his expression quickly hardening before he becomes fed up and stuffs the whole plate in the fridge. “Goodnight.” He throws open the door and exits the room as quickly as his feet can carry him.

Silence falls between the two sisters. Once again, it’s nowhere near the same comfortable silence Makoto has grown used to. There must be many different brands of silence, she considers. This silence is accompanied by a giant, rampaging elephant in the room neither of them are excited to bring up.

They wait a moment for the boy to be out of hearing range, and Makoto leans forward a bit. “What happened today?” Her voice comes out in a cautious whisper. Sae is still quick to shush her, answering in a quiet yet harsh tone.

“I thought I told you not to bring that up at home?”

“Then text it to me.”

“I told you, my phone’s dead. Besides, what if he reads it one day?”

“I’ll just delete it after I read it,” Makoto knits her brows together, begging Sae to take her words seriously. “Sis, we need to be on the same page here if we’re going to keep this up.”

Sae takes a deep breath, rubbing her fingers against her temples. She looks exhausted now that she’s dropped her act, like she’s traveled back to her days as a hardboiled prosecutor. “Okay, okay…” she pauses for a moment as if considering her next words with utmost caution. Like he's listening. “I got into an argument with one of my superiors. He suspected something, but as long as I take a few cases off his hands he’ll keep quiet about it.”

“How did he…?” Makoto starts.

Sae sighs before she can finish the question. “He caught me shredding papers.”

“Oh,” Makoto sits back a bit, though she isn’t sure if she’s relieved or not. “So you got them.”

“I had to pull a lot of strings, but eventually they were given up. I made sure any digital paperwork was erased, too,” Sae pauses. “And with how much I’ve had to pay the media to delete their articles on him, we’re probably not going to that sushi place for a while.”

Makoto stares at her incredulously. “You paid them out of your own pocket?!”

“Not entirely. Some of my old business connections owed me favors, the rest of your college fund and most of our savings are completely safe.” Makoto sighs in relief. “Still…” Sae continues, “I’ll be doing more people favors for a while, especially to forge those new documents. Getting him a new ID won't be easy.”

“Sis…” Makoto shakes her head, her voice breaking. “I can’t believe you’re putting so much on the line for him…”

Sae stiffens, her gaze turning stern. “You agreed to this. I thought we had an understanding.” She promptly gets up and retreats to the kitchenette with her plate and bowl. Her voice shifts to a regular volume. “I’m going to try to get him to take a bath. Please take care of the leftovers.” She takes Goro’s discarded plate out of the fridge and drops it next to her own before storming out.

Makoto sits still for a moment, regret pooling up inside of her. She should know better than to bring up something like that, not after they’ve been over the issue so many times, and especially when it would be so easy for Goro to hear their conversation should he be walking by. Sae was right. Makoto’s been given multiple opportunities to shut down this plan, but she has yet to do to so. She isn’t sure what’s compelling her to go along with this. Maybe it’s pity. Maybe it’s some selfish desire to have the boy she used to envy rely on her, despite everything he’s done. She can’t quite identify it. All she knows is that whenever she’s with him, horrible memories arise in her mind, and she almost wants to give up on him, let him suffer the consequences of his actions. But she can never bring herself to do it.

Next week she will begin her life as a university student, still living at home. Once she graduates, though, she’ll have to move out, and Sae will be left alone with a former murderer, one who remembers nothing of his crimes or anything of his past life. Despite his sacrifice in his final moment for the sake of the Phantom Thieves, Makoto fears what will happen if his memories ever come back. Surely he wouldn’t hurt anybody, would he? Not now that Shido was on trial for his crimes.

No, he wouldn’t hurt anybody. The only person he might hurt is himself.

Of course, Makoto thinks. That’s why they have to do this. How could there be any other option, especially for Sae, whose guilt ate away at her after hearing of the teenager’s death? She powered through it in order to bring Shido to justice, but Makoto knew she blamed herself.  _“I knew there was something wrong. There was always something off about him. I was just so wrapped up in catching the Phantom Thieves that I didn’t care… I didn’t even consider that he’s just a child. I could have helped him, Makoto. If I got him to trust me, maybe he wouldn’t have…”_

That’s what brought him here. Right after Makoto returned from a two-day trip to bring one of her dearest friends back to his hometown, she was called into the hospital by her sister. And there he was; Akechi Goro, passed out from exhaustion after an amnesia-induced panic attack. He was found near the Tokyo Diet Building by a good samaritan, although whether that person recognized him or not is still a mystery to Makoto. Regardless, the hospital was quick to catch on to his identity, and realizing the gravity of the situation they kept his presence under wraps so the media wouldn’t bombard them. They dug up his files to find Sae was listed as his emergency contact. That made sense. He must have considered that if anything happened to him, Niijima Sae would be the adult least likely to take advantage of the situation and have him killed, or worse.

When Makoto arrived at the hospital, her sister was already in the process of convincing the doctor and some of the nurses to help with her plan. She didn’t reveal everything, but she revealed enough to get them to agree to help her. It was mostly the fact that the boy really had nowhere to go, since his life was primarily funded by Shido Masayoshi, who was taken into custody. On top of that, returning to his previous life had a serious risk of resurfacing whatever psychological trauma triggered his retrograde amnesia, causing him to relapse. Starting a new life really was the best option for him according to the medical staff.

That was just a few days ago. Sae left to take care of the paperwork for getting him discharged and placed into her custody, while Makoto sat by his bed, watching his chest rise and fall steadily in his sleep. He looked so peaceful like that. More innocent than Makoto had ever seen him before. Maybe there’s a chance for him, she thought. Maybe… Now that Yaldabaoth is gone…

But that couldn’t be fair, she thought. Just because bastards like Yaldabaoth and Shido took advantage of him doesn’t make him a complete victim. He was selfish and narcissistic, deciding his ambitions and revenge were more valuable than the lives of innocent people. He was completely responsible for all the murders he undertook. Wakaba Isshiki died right in front of her daughter’s eyes because of him. Okumura Haru will never get to experience a healthy relationship with her father because Akechi killed him before the Phantom Thieves could change his heart. For the sake of Futaba and Haru, her closest friends, it was only right that she leave him like this. Send him to prison, even.

His awakening interrupted her dark thoughts. His eyes fluttered open, glassy and confused. Makoto’s breath hitched when he looked at her. Her face went pale. Her hands shook in her lap. Her lip quivered. Wait, why did her lip quiver? And why were her eyes brimming with tears?

His lips moved, but nothing came out. He swallowed before trying again. “Who…?”

She didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond. She felt like a statue, her limbs betrayed her when she tried to move. Akechi blinked a few times, then dropped his gaze to his wrist where the IV was stuck in him. His other hand came around slowly, moving toward the needle.

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she inched closer to him, bringing her hands up to stop him. He stared at her as she tried to hold her trembling lips together. “It’s okay,” she whispered, “You’re okay. I’m here. Just rest for now.” Her other hand moved to his head and gently stroked his hair as his eyes started to flutter closed again, his head thumping back against the pillow. Makoto’s eyes squinted shut to try to stop her tears, but also so she wouldn’t have to look at him when the next words came out of her mouth.

“It’s okay, little brother. I’ve got you.”

What kind of justice is this? Makoto’s head falls into her hands as she sits at the abandoned dinner table, a familiar silence filling the air once again.

 

* * *

 

Goro awakens to a room he recognizes, yet somehow doesn’t.

He remembers it from last night, right after he was discharged from the hospital. Makoto, his… older sister, showed him this room. She didn’t say anything presumptuous like he feared she would, didn’t say something like “Do you remember this room?” Instead she explained to him that they used to share this room when they were younger. Sometime after their father died in the line of duty, Sae decided they were too old to share a room anymore, and Makoto moved to the now vacant bedroom down the hall.

Tragedy must feel very at home in the Niijima family, Goro thinks. First comes the death of their father, then comes the memory loss of their brother. He feels his stomach sink when he realizes all memories of his father are gone for good. He would live on in Makoto and Sae’s memories, but not Goro’s. He’ll never have an opportunity to know him, either…

So after he stormed out on dinner, he dug through some boxes in the closet and found a photo book. It was filled to the brim with pictures, all of them labeled with a year. On the very first page he saw a man’s face. That had to be his father. He stared at it, concentrated, tried so hard to remember  _something_ about this man. He scanned through every memory he could dig up. Nothing. All he found were a few mental images he couldn’t quite place. A blue room with two strange figures standing before him. A monochrome striped creature. Glasses, and a head of messy raven hair…

None of that made any sense to him. Nothing he’d seen since waking up in the hospital lined up with those images that lingered in his mind. Everything else only…  _felt_ familiar. Whenever something  _felt_ familiar, he felt warmer, safer. Makoto-- sitting next to him in the hospital, holding his hand and stroking his hair-- felt somewhat familiar, yet strange at the same time. Sae-- pacing around the room while he pretended to sleep, exhaustion leaving circles under her eyes-- felt very familiar. The pictures he sifted through last night, the face he tried to hard to recognize, didn’t feel familiar at all. The man in the photos was nothing but a stranger to him, accompanied by much younger versions of the two women who only  _felt_  familiar to him.

Odd, he thought, that he couldn’t find a child that looked like him in the first few photos. Or the next few. Each page was covered top to bottom in photographs, but none of them contained a third child. He didn’t have much time to consider this before Sae caught him, shouted at him and snatched the book away.

“What are you--!” She stopped short and paused, taking a deep breath before continuing in a much calmer voice. “Don’t… look at this stuff without us, okay?” She stuffed the album back in the open box and shoved it back into the closet as she continued, exasperated. “They said… They said if you try to remember too quickly, you could relapse and forget everything again. Is that what you want?”

Goro shook his head.

Sae huffed. “Okay, good. Now, go take a bath.” She grabbed some towels from the top shelf of the closet and passed them to him. Goro stood there a moment, slightly perplexed by the demand. “Do you need help?” He shook his head again and retreated to the bathroom.

He took a quick shower, but found shortly afterward that he didn’t want to follow up with a bath; it didn’t feel right. So instead he returned to his room, where exhaustion caught up with him and put him to sleep.

This room… some things about it are familiar to him. He vaguely recognizes some of the furniture, though he doesn’t have clear memories of them. He already sifted through his wardrobe; his clothes feel like they belong to him. The bike in the corner of the room is certainly his, and so are his sheets. But it's a weird mesh in his mind; the items and the setting don’t fit right together. The size of the room, the color of the walls and the floor, they feel so  _off_ that it’s impossible to ignore.

Makoto’s words from last night pop up in his mind.  _“Give it some time.”_  Everything is moving so fast since yesterday, he hasn’t had a moment to process all of this. He’s thinking too hard about things. He’s an amnesiac, for crying out loud, of  _course_  there are things he doesn’t recognize about his own room. The way he feels right now, it makes sense, logically speaking. He needs to stop dwelling on his condition and start doing something about it.

He throws on some light clothing, something appropriate for biking in the Springtime, and sends Makoto a text despite being a few rooms away from her. He figures he shouldn’t barge into her room if she’s still asleep, it’s only six in the morning after all. As he’s examining his bike, however, a small knock sounds from the door. “Goro-kun?”

He nods at the door, forgetting she can’t see him give her permission to enter, and goes back to focusing on his bike. After a moment, the door opens and Makoto pokes her head through. She sighs in relief to find him decent. “I got your text. Did you want to go… right now?” She seems surprised to find him kneeling down next to his bike, adjusting the seat.

“Oh, I was going to wait until you were ready,” he looks up at her, a bit guilty. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, I just got out of the shower actually,” she says. Goro didn’t notice before, but her hair is clearly dripping wet. “I usually get up early to make breakfast for sis, but she already left for work. I can be ready in ten minutes.”

Goro makes a small, satisfied sound, prompting Makoto to disappear into the hall again, leaving the door ajar. He feels a small pang of guilt in his chest for not playing that game of chess with her last night.

 

* * *

 

Time passes, and the first day of the new school year draws closer.

The more time she spends with Goro, the easier it is to start forgetting who he used to be. They start cycling together every morning, helping him navigate the streets of Tokyo he no longer recognizes. They never go too far. She intentionally steers him clear of certain places; Yongen-Jaya and Shibuya, specifically. If any of the Phantom Thieves were to see him out and about, there would be a  _lot_ of trouble.

Makoto hadn’t even thought about her friends up until that bike ride. She can’t even imagine how she could explain this situation to them, especially to Haru or Futaba. There’s no explanation in her head that would convince her friends she was doing the right thing here. It’s best to keep them out of the picture, at least until she has a sound plan. It’s not like she can hide Akechi’s survival from them forever. She receives numerous texts over the week asking if she’s free, mostly from Haru. Making up fake excuses makes her heart ache.

It only takes a few days for Sae to start relaxing. She still has a massive amount of work to do, but all of Goro’s documents are finally finished. He even has a legal ID in the Niijima name, something Makoto thought she’d never be able to get. Things start to settle down, and Goro starts to lighten up as school draws closer, especially since Sae is so kind as to help him go over his school materials. Luckily, he remembers a lot from his studies, though he doesn’t actually remember where he got the information specifically. “I guess he really is a child prodigy,” Sae says to Makoto in passing one day. Makoto makes a face at her, as if she’s been jabbed at. Sae gives her a playful push.

Makoto is secretly happy to find that he actually struggles a bit against her in chess, though she feels kind of bad about it. He remembers the basics of the game, but all that planning ahead and complex maneuvering seems to be gone. It hardly seems like winning is important to him, though. Makoto starts to suspect he plays with her so she’ll continue to keep him company. Not that she leaves him alone much anyway.

Things start to get complicated when Goro starts having nightmares.

Makoto’s already awake when she hears the commotion. It’s one in the morning; she’d lost track of time scrolling through the internet. Suddenly she hears a voice that is unmistakably Goro, shouting through the wall, a strangled noise and a loud  _thud_ , and within a second her laptop is on the floor and she’s out of bed. For some reason, the first explanation that comes to her mind is that there must be an intruder, so she grabs the heaviest book she sees and brandishes it like a weapon as she darts into the hall, aikido techniques rushing through her mind.

The door to Goro’s room-- formerly her late father’s room-- is wide open, and so is Sae’s. The screaming has stopped, but that doesn’t deter her from rushing in with the book high in the air. She stops short at the sight of her sister and the disheveled boy on the floor by the bed, his face buried in her shoulder as he sobs quietly. Sae looks like she’s coming down from a similar high of adrenaline Makoto had felt when she heard the scream. Makoto’s arms fall in front of her as she catches her breath.

A nightmare. That’s all it is. Makoto used to have them too, after their father died. Whenever she’d wake Sae up in the middle of the night, they’d go into the living room and drink tea together, watch a light-hearted movie until Makoto fell asleep on the couch. She places the book on the desk next to her, putting a hand on Sae’s shoulder. “I’ll make some tea,” she whispers. Sae mouths a thank you at her.

Goro mutters apologies, but Sae shushes him and strokes his hair. “You’re okay,” she repeats softly. Makoto closes the door most of the way, only leaving it slightly ajar as she moves to the kitchen.

Three mugs of tea are placed on the coffee table, and Makoto is in the middle of picking out a film when Sae enters to room alone. She closes the door behind her. “He passed out already,” she explains sadly. “I don’t think I’m going back to sleep, though.” Makoto nods understandingly, and pours the third cup of tea down the drain. They settle on an English musical with subtitles.

“He kept talking after he fell asleep,” Sae interrupts the movie halfway through a ballad. Her grim expression isn’t lost on Makoto.

“What did he say?” she asks.

Sae brings her fingers to the bridge of her nose and squints her eyes shut as if she has a headache coming on. “Something about Shido,” she answers hoarsely, “And something about a Joker. I don’t know what that means, though.”

Makoto blinks at her, her knuckles turning white around her mug. “That’s Akira.”

Darkness looms over her sister’s eyes, her hand resting on her forehead, and Makoto stares down at her tea, contemplative, still gripping the handle with vigor. A moment passes, and the ballad on screen ends. “Have you spoken to your friends about any of this?”

“No.”

“You should probably tell them soon, and tell them to stay away. If they find out on their own, things could get bad.”

Makoto nods. “I’m trying to figure out how to bring it up.” She bites her lip. “Akira’s back in his hometown. He can’t know, though. He’ll want to see him, for sure.”

Sae closes her eyes. “That _cannot_ happen.”

“Don’t worry. It won’t. I’ll make sure of it."

 

* * *

 

Tomorrow is April 5th, the first day of school, both for the students of Shujin and for Makoto's university. She is alone for the day, as Sae took Goro to meet the faculty at his new school, where he'll start as a second year rather than simply repeat the first year. He's still very smart, but not quite ready to graduate in his current state. Sae was extremely careful to pick a school that welcomed a good portion of international students, people who wouldn’t recognize him from his previous media appearances. Everything seems to be working out a little too well for them.

She gets a text from Futaba around noon, a very hopeful one since it’s the last day of vacation. She wants everyone to meet at Leblanc. She’s more than happy to accept the invitation.

“There’s our Queen!” Ryuji throws his arms up as Makoto enters the tiny cafe. Everyone perks up, their faces elated as Haru and Ann rush to the door to hug her. “Seriously, Mako-chan, we haven’t seen you in weeks!” Haru’s melodic voice brings an apologetic smile to Makoto’s face.

“Sorry guys, I’ve just been helping my sister out with something,” she says casually, as if that  _something_ wasn’t a fugitive living in their home. It occurs to her that that’s exactly what’s going on, isn’t it? Seeing the people Akechi hurt, it reminds her of that fact. She quickly buries the thought.

“So you’ve said,” Ann nudges her playfully. “Already doing police work, are we, Miss Commissioner?”

Makoto winks. “That’s confidential.”

They settle easily into conversation as they wait for Yusuke to show up. Futaba complains about school starting tomorrow; she’s terrified to start going to Shujin, despite all the support she’ll be getting from the people around her. It’s a big step for her, Makoto reasons. She has every right to be nervous, especially since she just got used to navigating crowds without supervision. Ryuji is his usual ladykiller self, trying to get the girls to spill on what they like in a guy, only to have the tables turned on him by Ann. He pretends he never asked in the first place. Haru starts up about the university she'll be attending; a highly expensive private institution where she'll study business. Makoto stays quiet for the most part. Her mind wanders elsewhere too often, and it’s difficult for her to fully keep up with the conversation.

The bell rings after half an hour, and in walks Yusuke. The Thieves greet him with a series of complaints about his tardiness. “My apologies,” he tucks some hair behind his ear. “I got off the train one stop early to save money, and I ended up being late.”

“That’s what you say every time, man,” Ryuji shakes his head.

“It’s about time, Inari!” Futaba hops out of her booth and looks at Haru expectantly. Haru lets out a small “Oh, right!” and nudges Ann so she can slide out of the booth. Ann quizzically stands up to let her out. “We needed to make sure all of you were here first.” Futaba explains, “No you all gotta wait another fifteen minutes, because we have an  _amazingly cool_ surprise for you!” Haru nods enthusiastically.

“Uh, okay?” Ann barely has time to ask before the two girls rush out the door.

Yusuke takes a seat next to Ryuji. “I suppose we’re expected to wait.”

“That’s literally what they said, my dude,” Ryuji patted him on the shoulder as if to say “No shit, Sherlock”.

“A rare sentiment from Captain Obvious himself,” Ann teases, “If I recall correctly, you reacted to me being propositioned to pose for a nude painting with,  _wait, ain’t that bad?”_

They bicker for a moment before something hits Makoto. Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke are here with here. Alone. They have fifteen minutes before Futaba and Haru come back. Her conversation from the other night comes to mind.  _“You should probably tell them soon, and tell them to stay away. If they find out on their own, things could get bad.”_

She still has no idea how to bring this up with Haru and Futaba, but she can definitely trust these three. It’s now or never. The longer she waits, the worse it will be when they find out. She interrupts an attempted quip from Ryuji by loudly proclaiming, “I need to tell you guys something.”

The table goes quiet. Makoto identifies a new brand of silence in that moment; highly expectant, with all eyes trained on her. She takes a deep breath, almost ready to spill everything, but her nerves get the better of her and she clams up again. “I’m sorry,” she shakes her head apologetically, “This is really hard to explain.”

Ann puts a concerned hand on her shoulder. “No no, what’s up? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I just…” Makoto sighs, “This is gonna suck. You’re all seriously gonna hate me.”

“What?!” Ann’s voice reaches a new octave, “That’s ridiculous! We could never hate you, right guys?” The boys nod encouragingly, though Ryuji looks significantly more uncomfortable with Makoto’s warning than Yusuke. “What are you goin’ on about, Makoto?” The young rebel’s brow furrows at her.

Makoto places her hands in her lap and sits up straight. It’s already halfway out there. It really is now or never.

She watches the horror seep onto Ann and Ryuji’s faces as she begins to explain everything that’s happened over the past week and a half. Yusuke’s face doesn’t change, but his elbows come up to the table, his chin resting on his thumbs and his fingers tapping at his lips as he listens. He doesn’t budge an inch after that. Ann scoots away from her a bit when she describes her willingness to go along with Sae’s plan. Ryuji almost interrupts her a few times, but Ann kicks him from under the table whenever he opens his mouth to interject. Makoto’s shoulders sink as she finishes explaining. “That’s why I had to tell you guys. Haru and Futaba can’t know, not yet at least. I have no idea how I’m going to tell them.” She tilts her head back and huffs, her eyes stinging a bit as she tries to fight back the oncoming tears. A hiccup escapes her. “And I have no idea what’ll happen if he sees you guys again, so you can’t come to my place anymore. I’m sorry I kept it from you, I really am…” Her shoulders begin to shake as she wipes the tears from her eyes.

Ann jumps into action and snakes her arms around Makoto’s shoulders. “No, Makoto, it’s okay, really,” she tries her best to sound unbothered by everything she just heard. “I’m glad you told us. I totally get where you’re coming from.”

“I don’t…” It’s Ryuji who says it, earning a sharp glare from Ann. “I don’t get why you’d risk telling us about it,” he clarifies, folding his arms tightly across his chest like a stubborn child. “So Akechi survived, and your sister is trying to protect him by making him think he’s a Niijima. You gotta know we’re not cool with that, that we’d wanna do something about it.”

“Really, Ryuji?” Ann’s glare intensifies as her arms tighten around her friend’s shoulders. “I remember you sounding pretty upset the moment we thought he died.”

“It’s not that!” Ryuji nearly shouts, but realizes where they are and lowers his voice. “Don’t you think that’s messed up, tricking someone with amnesia like that? What if he wakes up and remembers everything one day?”

“The doctors said… that can’t happen unless something triggers him…” Makoto argues through her sobs.

“Okay, but what about justice for all those people he killed? He sacrificed himself on that ship as some kind of repentance for what he did, so he clearly wanted to change. But now he doesn’t even remember what he did! So now he just gets to live a cushy life as if nothing ever happened?!”

“Akechi may have been responsible for his actions, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was heavily manipulated not only by Shido, but the false god Yaldabaoth,” Yusuke interjects calmly. “He had a twisted view of the world due to his upbringing, and that was taken advantage of in order to play a sick game of life and death. Although he isn’t innocent, he is a victim of poor circumstance.” The artist eyes Makoto, who wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “That’s what caused you to go along with your sister’s plan, isn’t it, Queen? You wanted to give him a chance at a better life, prevent him from being taken advantage of yet a third time. You’re pursuing justice for a boy who had none before his loneliness drove him into becoming a murderer.”

Makoto stays quiet, but his words resonate with her. She communicates that through her silence. Ann sighs in understanding and hugs her even tighter. “You’re a good person, Makoto.”

“That’s…”  _Irrelevant,_  she wants to say. This isn’t about her. “It’s just… Futaba, and Haru…”

“Haru’s a tough girl,” Ann assures. “I’m sure she’ll have her reservations about all this, but… She’s said she kind of sympathizes with Akechi-kun. She hasn’t forgiven him, and she has the right to keep it that way, but she understands him. We can talk to her together if you want.”

“Futaba, on the other hand…”

Ann groans. “Ryuji, will you shut up?”

“No, he’s right,” Yusuke hums in agreement. “Although in the moment, Futaba might have tried to relate to Akechi after he tried to kill us, she has more reason than any of us to hate him. Not only did he kill her mother, his actions caused her to believe she was the reason for her death. She suffered endlessly because of him.”

Ann can’t retaliate, and Makoto knows he’s right. It takes a moment for Ann to think of something to say. “Oh! What about Akira? Maybe he could help you talk to Futaba. She’s usually a lot calmer around him.”

Makoto puts her hands against Ann’s chest, weakly trying to push her away so she can shake her head wildly. “No, no, no way!” she protests, “He  _cannot_ know, do you hear me? Whatever you all do, do  _not_ tell Joker!”

The bell chimes again halfway through her plea, but Makoto is too frantic to hear it.

“Don’t tell me what?”


	2. Out of the Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto's reaction isn't lost on Akira or Haru. Sae refuses to be threatened by a new face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP 6,969 word count on this fic, you will be missed. There were originally 6,960 words but I literally added nine words to the first chapter earlier so I could memorialize it: https://imgur.com/a/ytRzIH4
> 
> The support has been so overwhelming, thank you guys so much for the kudos and kind comments! My plan is to get the first three or four chapters out rather quickly, and then when I go back to school updates will be a bit further apart. I still feel like I'm setting up a foundation for this fic and I want that foundation to be complete before I get busy again. 
> 
> Literally all I do every day is play Smash and write this fic, so I'm not too worried about at least that getting done. In other news, my GSP for every Smash character on the roster is dropping faster than the US Federal Government's credibility. (This joke will be outdated when the shut down ends)

It only takes Kurusu Akira a week to begin fighting with his parents.

There's a conflict of interest between all three of them. There always has been, but with Akira's newfound sense of freedom and justice he gained from his year in Tokyo, the conflict becomes much worse very quickly.

His mother, Kimiko, is an insecure housewife who gave up her career to raise her child. Therefore her overbearing nature can be overwhelming, and she uses her moments of weakness to her advantage, emotionally manipulating Akira into doing what she wants. She never gets mad, just devastated and hurt, and that's so much worse. Akira loves her, and often forgets that it isn't his job to show unrelenting loyalty to his mother when she accuses him of abandoning her company for other activities, like hanging out with friends or holding himself up alone in his room. It's almost as if she has her fingers wrapped around his throat, and actively searches for opportunities to squeeze his larynx shut until he does what she wants. Her fingers constrict tighter once Akira returns from Tokyo. _“All my friends abandoned me after what you did last year. I was so lonely, I thought about you every day, but you never called me! Not even once!”_

On the other side of the coin, his father, Yuuta, is a doctor at his town's only hospital, and like most successful men, he wants to keep his reputation spot-free. Even though Akira never really did much to tarnish that reputation-- before the assault charge, that is-- he wasn't a kid who liked to listen, and whenever he talked back or argued with his father in front of others he'd be severely punished. There was never any physical threat, but Akira has memories of being confined to his room for weeks, only allowed to attend school and after-school clubs, over something as simple as complaining of boredom in front of his father's co-workers. Akira has his father to thank for a good portion of his rebellious instincts, with all the sneaking out he did in middle school after being grounded. The newfound spirit he'd received from Tokyo didn't sit well at all with his father. _“You've been home for a day and you haven't even bothered to visit the neighbors and apologize for what you did last year. That incident affected everyone in the neighborhood; they looked at me like I raised some kind of hooligan! I don't care if the charges were blasphemous, you ruined our image as parents with that stunt, and now you need to make up for_ it.”

What nonsense. Akira's sick of listening to it.

If not for Akira's Uncle Tatsuya, he probably would have turned out to be a much more meek and obedient teenager. His mother's older brother used to visit all the time after his wife passed away, since the Kurusus were the only family he had left. Akira used to think his uncle was secretly his father with the way he treated him as a child. The man would drive him out to get ice cream when his parents fought, be a mediator between him and his mother's manipulative tendencies, and help him with his homework when his father grounded him. Eventually they would start doing fun stuff like visit the arcade and bowling alley in secret when he was supposed to be in his room. Uncle Tatsuya's moral compass was extremely clear, and Akira was dazzled by that. He would always encourage the weak and challenge those with power, especially when that person in power was Kurusu Yuuta. Uncle Tatsuya was the one person Akira looked forward to seeing when he came home from school, but one day his mother banished the man from the house without giving a reason. Akira never saw his uncle again, doesn't even know his last name because his parents refused to tell him, no matter what he tried.

_“Dad, what was Mom's name before she married you?”_

_“I don't see why you would need to know that. You better not be planning on changing your's.”_

_“Mom, what's your maiden name? I need it for a school assignment.”_

_“Don't try to fool me, you ungrateful child!”_

It was no use. His uncle was gone. But the impression he left on the boy was already set in stone.

And so his attempt to put up with his family until the start of the school year proves to be a complete catastrophe. Akira never expected anything different, not really. Every call his parents gave to Sojiro over the last year ended with the poor man downing two aspirins and rubbing his temples like he could still hear their furious voices in his head. His guardian asked him countless times if he really, _truly_ wanted to go back home. That was enough proof that nothing changed with his folks.

Still, at the time, his head was filled with grief, and he wanted nothing more than to get away from Tokyo. From the memories that still haunt him… The memories of the person he couldn't save.

But it doesn't take Akira long to realize that dealing with his family is a thousand times worse than that feeling. So after a dinnertime shouting match escalates to near violent outbursts from all parties, Akira reasons that it's time to leave these people behind.

It takes a few days of constant fighting for his parents to realize they just aren't getting anywhere with him, either. His mother finally accepts his betrayal and lets go-- this time without threatening to kill herself-- but she still does her best to thrust as must guilt on him as possible for it. His father grows tired of the arguments and bringing his hoarse voice into work every day, and decides that his son's presence is just too distracting for him. It both relieves and saddens Akira when they agree to have Sojiro take him in again. They tell him that they will happily send money to him, but they will no longer try to make contact, and they ask that he doesn't come home until they do.

When Akira first returns to Leblanc in the early morning, he's unsurprised to see it hasn't changed. It's only been a week and a half, after all.

“Honey, I'm home,” he says quietly to no one in particular. A soft pang in his chest sends him looking for a distraction.

The counter looks a bit dusty-- at least he thinks it does-- so he grabs a towel to wipe it down before Sojiro comes to help him unpack. Being behind the counter alone makes him feel like he owns the place, and he can definitely imagine a scenario where Sojiro passes the business down to him. Still, there's something holding him back from that idea. It's for the same reason he wanted to try going home. This cafe holds too many memories for him. He imagines a slim brunette sitting on the other side of the counter, his legs crossed and his head leaning on his arm as if he's contemplating something. He imagines a chessboard between them, the quiet hours of the night their only company, as they chat about different blends of coffee and how they both kind of wish they could have chosen who their parents were. He imagines the boy giving him a broken laugh and noting that Akira did, eventually, get to choose a parent, while he continued to chase one that would never accept him.

That last part is just wishful thinking on Akira's part. Akechi Goro never confided in him about things like that. He hinted at those things, and Akira held on to every inch he was given, but Akechi never grew to fully trust him. Even after spending the night in his bed when the storms made it impossible for him to return home. Even after they ghosted over each other's lips in the morning, refusing to fully commit to their instincts and breaking apart. Even after Akira admitted to the boy that he was falling in love with him.

Wait. Those things never actually happened, did they? They were all dreams he had after Akechi was already dead. They never spent the night together, or came close to kissing, or confessed feelings for one another. Akira would wake up ashamed of himself, though he couldn't decide whether it was because of the guilt of not being able to save the boy in his dream or the fact that he dreamt of doing such things with someone so deranged.

Akira wanted to be someone Akechi Goro could rely on, but he hadn't reached far enough into the boy's dark heart. He couldn't save him from Shido or Yaldabaoth. Akira couldn't even save Akechi from himself.

Seeing his friends will help him take his mind off things, he reasons. He sits with Morgana on Futaba's bed, waiting for her to retrieve him for the surprise she planned. Both he and his feline companion are painfully bored by the time she and Haru come to get them.

When he steps into the cafe the first thing he hears is Makoto's voice. It's strangely desperate.

“--you do, do _not_ tell Joker!”

"Don't tell me what?”

 

* * *

_“Surprise!”_ Futaba hops giddily by the cafe door. Right in front of her is a familiar boy twice her height. He’s both tall and thin, with a head of messy raven hair. His thick glasses, which usually hide his expression, do little to hide a smile that easily reaches his eyes. A black and white cat sticks out of his bag and peeks over his shoulder.  
  
Makoto’s stomach flips.  
  
Ryuji is the first one out of the booth and assaulting Akira in a fierce hug, laughing and cheering as if he forgot everything he just heard. Morgana hisses as the force of the attack throws him out of Akira’s bag. Ann bolts up as well but seems almost reluctant to rush up to them. Her eyes dart from Akira to Makoto to Akira to Makoto again. Makoto can’t look back at her. She just stares at the boy as the color drains from her face. Haru, who walked in before Akira, quickly notices, her smile faltering to a look of concern. “Mako-chan, are you alright?”  
  
Makoto blinks out of her stupor. She has to put on an act, fast. Good thing she’s already had a week’s worth of practice. “Yes!” she replies a little too loudly. “I-I mean, I’m just surprised! I thought you were finishing school at home…?”  
  
Akira lets out a weak laugh. “Um, yeah, it’s kind of hard to explain,” he sounds like he doesn’t want to talk about it. Makoto suspects it has something to do with his family. From what she’s heard, they aren’t the most nurturing of folk. “But basically, Sojiro’s gonna look after me until I finish high school at Shujin. Or, forever, I guess.”  
  
“For real?! That’s sick, dude!” Ryuji beams and high-fives him, hard enough to make the lean boy wince in pain. Ann can no longer hide her excitement either, squealing and finally rushing both boys into a group hug. Makoto’s stomach does somersaults. She swallows down her nerves.  
  
“Sakura-san gave Futaba-chan the news when we both got back from Akihabara the other day,” Haru explains. “That’s why I knew about it first, and I helped her out with the surprise. She wanted to make everything perfect!”  
  
“She made me hide in her room until you guys all showed up,” Akira says as Ann and Ryuji finally release him. “She wouldn’t even let me walk over on my own, she wanted to know the exact moment I walked through the door so she could say surprise.”  
  
Futaba puffs out her cheeks. “And you ruined it by announcing yourself!” Akira pats her on the head.  
  
A shrill whine emits from the floor. “Hey, I’m here too you know! Don’t I get a hug, Lady Ann?” Morgana paws at Ann’s leg, prompting her to scoop him up and squeeze his torso with an intense fervor, earning another cat-like cry. “Wait, n-not so tight!!”  
  
“What a pleasant surprise,” Makoto whips around at the sound of Yusuke’s voice. He’s still sitting calmly in the booth with his elbows on the table, giving Akira a small wave, the same one he greeted him with when the young leader was released from prison. Honestly, Makoto completely forgot Yusuke was there. “I completely understand, Joker. You missed being in the presence of my artistic prowess, so you’ve transferred to Tokyo for good.”  
  
“How could I continue on without witnessing your artistic journey, Yusuke?” Akira jokes. Then he finally does what Makoto’s been dreading since his arrival; he acknowledges her. It looks like he’s about to make another quip, but his light-hearted expression falls, and it takes him a moment to say anything. “Everything okay, Queen? You look kind of sick.” Makoto quickly realizes she’s been crying for the last few minutes, and on top of that she’s done little to hide the horror on her face. She must look hideous.

“Uh, yeah. A little bit,” she pretends to admit. She wipes her face to make sure her tears have dried up, but her nasally voice does little to mask the truth. “It’s just a little cold.”

“We were just having a little heart-to-heart, that’s all. _OW!”_ Ryuji clasps the spot on his arm where Ann suddenly smacked him. “What?!”

“A heart-to-heart?” Haru asks curiously. The concern in her voice sends an arrow through Makoto’s chest. Ryuji, you _idiot._ “Mako-chan, is something bothering you?”

“No!” There she goes again, answering a question too quick and too loud, making her lies all the more obvious. She sighs and shakes her head apologetically. “I mean, I don’t know… Really, it’s not important right now.”

Haru fails to hide the hurt in her eyes, and Makoto wants to curse under her breath. “Well, you can always talk to me. I hope you know that,” Haru's voice sounds hopeful. Makoto gives her an affirming nod, hoping that’s enough to assure her that they still have a strong bond.

Ann has done an excellent job of distracting Akira and Futaba from Ryuji’s little slip-up. She’s already planning the welcome back party. Futaba makes a fuss about the fact that _this is_ supposed to be the welcome back party, and saying otherwise only insults her party-planning abilities. Though she admits, frankly, the surprise was as far as she got in terms of planning. Makoto finally decides she’s relied on Ann enough. She shoves away her nerves one last time and focuses on the hint of excitement she felt the moment Akira presented himself. To be honest with herself, she is more than happy to have her friend back. She embraces that feeling as she gets out of the booth.

“Come here, you big troublemaker,” she gives him a tight hug around the shoulders. She feels a sigh of relief against her ear as he hugs her back. She must have worried him. “Welcome back, Joker.”

“Thanks, Queen.”

Chatter fills the room after they all take seats around the cafe. The conversations continue just as they did before Futaba and Haru left, some of the topics repeating since neither Akira nor Yusuke were there when they happened. The booth is filled up before she can return to it, Morgana taking up the last space that would be better suited for a human, so Makoto sits on a bar chair next to Haru instead. She doesn’t miss the way Haru eyes her from time to time. She must still be trying to figure out what that heart-to-heart was about. It’s rare for Makoto to keep secrets from her; they were the only ones in their final year of high school, so they confided in each other all the time. Makoto does her best to pretend everything is completely normal, but she knows Haru can see right through her. The more she pretends, the more she hurts her close friend.

“Wait, isn’t Leblanc supposed to be open?” Ann looks around the shop. There’s not a customer in sight, which isn’t unusual, but Sojiro isn’t even standing behind the counter today.

“Sojiro’s taking the day off so Akira can move in,” Futaba says. “I don’t think he’ll open tomorrow, either. He’s pretty nervous about sending me to school. He says he wants to be ready to drop everything in case I call him to pick me up.”

“Like that’ll happen!” Ryuji interjects, “If anyone gives you a hard time, Futaba, Joker and I’ll bring ‘em to their knees. Right, dude?”

“With words of warning,” Akira corrects him sweetly. As usual, he hasn’t contributed much to the conversation until now. He’s been quietly listening and enjoying the company around him.

Makoto tries to breathe evenly as her mind races with scenarios where everything could go _so horribly wrong_ from here on out.

 

* * *

 

 

“Your previous school is of extremely high prestige, Niijima-kun,” Principal Mayoshi quirks an eyebrow at the records in front of him. “I’m curious as to why you chose to transfer to Kozuke Academy rather than return to your previous studies. Despite your situation, it’s still a marvelous program for someone with your gifts.” He places the papers down and gestures to the scores printed across them.

Goro shifts in his chair a bit, unsure of how to respond. The man before him is gentle enough… but he doesn’t like the strange look he’s getting from time to time. It’s as if the Principal is scanning him, looking for something hidden on his body. Luckily, Sae interjects before he has to think of anything to say. “We figured it would be best if he started over,” she explains simply. “Going back to a school where people will know him from before might be too strange for him. It's as simple as that.”

Mayoshi lets out a small hum. Her answer seems to satisfy him. “Well, many of the students here are international, so he’ll have to take English classes like the rest of them.”

“I understand,” Goro answers in English. He doesn’t say anything more because that’s all he remembers how to say in English. He doesn't know why he says it; maybe he's worried about falling behind, doesn't want to show that he's lost whatever academic abilities he used to have. But Principal Mayoshi is still giving him that look...

The silver-haired man chuckles with satisfaction. “Seems you won't have a problem. Sasaki-sensei,” he turns to the woman standing next to him. “Why don’t you show Niijima-kun to your classroom? So he doesn’t get lost on his first day. Incoming first-years usually get an orientation and a tour, but that event has already passed.”

Good. He's been anxious to leave this office since they arrived. He looks at Sae as requesting some kind of reassurance, though he isn't sure what he needs to be reassured about. She smiles at him encouragingly and is the first to stand before the Principal puts his hand up. “Actually, Niijima-san, I was hoping I could have a moment of your time in the meanwhile.”

“Oh,” The request catches her off-guard. She glances at Goro to check up on him, and he nods at her, affirming that he’ll be fine without her. He hopes it's convincing. Sae nods, “Of course.”

Sasaki-sensei leads her new student out of the room, closing the door behind them. Sae sits down again and folds her legs together. “What can I do for you?”

Mayoshi is quiet for a moment. He pushes the papers toward Sae. “This is quite the route to take, changing someone’s entire identity.”

Her eye twitches.

“It was my understanding that Akechi-kun is a foster child. Although I suppose he isn’t anymore, since he’s over fifteen. Still, you could have gone about this in a much simpler way had you just filled out the proper paperwork. Why all the secrecy and forged documents?” He folds his hands together, his elbows resting on his desk. “You don’t really expect the students here won’t recognize him, do you? I certainly did, and I’m not very 'with-it’ as far as teen celebrities go.”

Sae's eyes burn with contempt, her instincts taking over. What the hell is this guy trying to get at? It's like he's taunting her, like he has something dangling over her head and he's waiting for her to bat at it. Or is he trying to scare her? She won't stand for being threatened. “I suspect you have my brother mistaken for someone else, _Kocho-sensei_ ,” she bites out his title like a snake fighting off a predator. “If his presence is going to be a problem for you, we can always find another program for him.”

“Nonsense, Niijima-san,” Mayoshi chuckles and shakes his head. His calm demeanor never falters before her icy gaze, and Sae finds herself unsettled, a feeling somewhat foreign to her. The Principal taps one of the documents. “I wasn't certain at first, so I contacted the school you listed as his previous institute. It seems you could erase him from the media, but you couldn't pay enough people to keep their mouths shut. Not without digging into your sister's hard-earned college fund.”

Sae holds back a curse. This is ridiculous, what a damn show-off. This guy seriously reminds her of all those smug, sexist jackasses at work trying to undermine her intelligence by pointing out her mistakes. She won't put up with it anymore. Her fingers inch toward her purse as she readies herself to leave. They'll just have to find another school, starting a few days into the semester won't hurt his grades.

“Niijima-san, please don't misunderstand my intent here.”

She stops short. Give him the benefit of the doubt, a voice tells her. Give him a time limit. Two minutes, she decides. Then she tracks down Goro and drags him the hell out of here. Her eyes move to the clock on the wall, beginning the countdown in her head. “What is it you want, Sensei?”

“I’ve been Vice Principal at this school for quite some years,” Mayoshi begins. He leans back in his chair, and Sae readies herself for the oncoming monologue with an exaggerated eye-roll. “However my boss, Principal Azama, wasn't exactly the type to share power, so I mostly acted as his assistant. He had me sending money to a strange account twice a month, and being the young rebel that I am,” he laughs to emphasize his sarcasm, “I thought I'd play detective and try to figure out where that money was going. He said it was his personal business and the school had nothing to do with it, but I wasn’t buying it. As it turned out, that money was going straight into the pocket of some famous politician.”

Sae tenses, almost ready to grab her things and leave without a word. But she forces herself to stick to her promise and glances at the clock. It's only been thirty seconds. She chops his time down to one minute.

“Same old story, isn't it? Someone always owes someone money. I wouldn't have had a problem with it, were he not using money he embezzled from the school's tuition fund,” his face goes a bit sour for a moment. “I confronted him at a bar. I figured if he were drunk enough he'd forget I said anything in the morning, and I might still get my answers. I thought he'd be angry, but he was pretty far gone by that point. He went on and on about this huge business in mental shutdowns, and how he'd requested shutdowns on people who attempted to sue the academy. After that I simply told the board of directors about the embezzlement and got him fired. But I still wanted to know more. So I reached out to the staff. Our Computer Science department has a couple guys who claim their on par with Medjed. I didn't have much expectation, but they were able to follow the trail quite well.”

Five seconds.

“And we found absolutely nothing.”

“That’s a riveting story, Sensei, but I fail to see how it connects to my brother, so if you'll excuse me…” Sae snatches her purse and stands, keeping her head held high as she turns to leave.

“Except a single apartment in Shibuya, occupied by a young man.”

Sae scoffs and whips around. “That's it? That's the big reveal you were leading up to?” She's almost offended that he wasted so much of her time with this story.

“He was being supplied for by a corrupt politician initiating mental shutdowns, yet making news appearances and boasting about how wicked the Phantom Thieves were for playing with people's’ minds. I found it extremely suspect,” Mayoshi's eyes fall to his desk solemnly. “But what could I do from there? I have no power, nor evidence. Just speculation and a flimsy digital trail. So I'm asking you, Niijima-san.”

Sae grimaces at him. “What?”

“What did he have to do with Shido Masayoshi's plot? If you tell me the truth, I'll allow him to enroll here, and I'll make absolutely certain you are informed of any threats to him, such as rumors about his identity.”

Slender knuckles turn white as her grip tightens on her leather bag. She waits for another “and” or “but”. It never comes. The choices in front of her seem clear enough. Leave and protect Goro, or stay and trust this man to keep his word? Sae doesn't trust easily, nor is she keen on the idea of being flexible with it. But if she leaves now, what are they to do afterward? Find another school and just assume no one will recognize him? Mayoshi's right about one thing. If it's true that Sae underestimated Akechi-kun's popularity as a detective, then finding an institute for him will be much more challenging than she expected. He _has_ to go to school. He _must_ have a future, a normal life, or all of this will be for nothing.

“I don't trust you,” she says outright. “But just… swear to me that he'll be safe.”

“I swear on my daughter's life.”

“What the hell? That's a horrible thing to say,” Sae shakes her head, but concedes. He seems like a gentle type of man, not the type to say such extreme things without truly meaning it. Then again, she's not an excellent judge of character. Akechi had her fooled for so long… She thinks about the alternative options again. They're not any better, are they? She has to take a risk. She returns to her chair, stares at him for a moment, and sighs. “Fine. It's not like you don't already know.”

She leaves out a lot of details. Most of the details, actually. He wouldn't believe her if she told him about the Metaverse or her connection to the Phantom Thieves anyway, not that she would ever bother telling him. She keeps the story focused on Shido's operation and where Akechi fit into the picture, _vaguely_ , and Mayoshi listens intently, his expression unchanging. He nods in understanding from time to time, but stays silent.

By the end of her explanation he still hasn't said a word. Instead he lowers his palms down to his desk and stands, closing the folder in front of him. He picks it up gently and moves to place it in a filing cabinet. Sae's eyes follow his movements, quickly growing impatient by his silence. “Do we have a deal then, Sensei? Or are you going to report me? You have no evidence, as you've said.”

“I also swore to you on my daughter's life, yet I am a childless widower.”

The attorney's chair nearly falls back from the force of her stance. “You bastard!”

Mayoshi opens a drawer and delicately flicks through the organized folders, sliding Goro's file into the mix. “I expect Goro-kun will make a fine addition to our school. His test scores will prove quite useful for our overall image.”

She could strangle this filth. Her blood aches with rage.

“We’ll be in touch, Niijima-san. I'll keep my end of the bargain. Your little brother will be safe in our hands,” he waves as if to dismiss her, but Sae doesn't move, her fists clenched and her teeth bared like a lion.

“Don’t you dare think you can blackmail me!” She almost spits in his direction. She would have if they were on the street. “You’re sick!”

Mayoshi quirks an eyebrow at her. She's sick of seeing that plastic expression. “It's rather sick to brainwash a teenager as well, isn't it, Niijima-san? Or is it more sickening to hide and protect a serial murderer? Which crime would you like to plead guilty to?”

God, what she wouldn't give to rip the condescending frown from this asshole's face. She's had enough of the threats. First her superior catches her and tries to pile her desk with cases, and now this  _nobody_ thinks he can intimidate her? What could he possibly want? Money? Legal leniency? A fucking blowjob?! She's been asked for all three and never gave in, never took the easy way out by giving sexist pigs what they want. She'd sooner eat shit than submit to anyone like that.

“I don't give a damn about what you think you have on me! What, did you find some kind of inconsistent paperwork? Have me tell you what you already know so you could record a confession from my own mouth? I was an ace prosecutor for _years!_  I've seen all the plays in the fucking book, been threatened by every money-grubbing, condescending jackass in this region, but I _always_ rise above those pricks.” She lets those words sink in and pushes the chair out of her way. “We're done here,” she hisses over her shoulder. “If you really wanna try me, don't expect to see me in court. You won't even make it that far.”

She keeps moving toward the door as she hears him laugh heartily. “There's the Niijima Sae I've heard so much about!” She slows her pace to glare at him. “Shall I tell Sasaki-sensei to expect Goro-kun in class tomorrow?”

She flips him off and slams the door.

“I suppose we'll find out in the morning, then!”

It's not long before Sae finds Goro and his homeroom teacher chatting outside her classroom. Sasaki-sensei is doing most of the talking while Goro politely listens and nods. They're both surprised with Sae grabs the boy's arm and roughly pulls him toward the stairs. “We're leaving.”

“But Sae--”

“We're leaving _now_. And don't talk back to me again,” she pays the startled teacher no mind as she drags him away.

She'll keep dragging this boy out of the darkness, even if it swallows her up in his stead.

 

* * *

 

Akira isn't blind. It's clear that Makoto isn't happy to see him.

From the moment he walked in, you would think he was pointing a loaded gun at her. The situation becomes even clearer with every break in her voice. Why is she so afraid of him all of a sudden? It's all he can think about as he pretends he doesn't notice. It drives him crazy.

Ann drags the team out to karaoke after a couple hours of conversing at Leblanc. Makoto is the last to sit, and even though there's an empty space next to Akira, she politely asks Ryuji to move over so she can sit between him and Yusuke. Haru gets pushed up against him as the whole row scoots over. Makoto's eyes dart down when Akira gives her a curious look.

His phone buzzes in his pocket while Futaba and Ryuji belt out the Featherman theme song into their microphones. It's a text from Haru, who is still sitting directly next to him, almost thigh-to-thigh. He never even noticed her take out her phone. She must be a master of stealth-texting. He peers at her, but she pretends not to notice. His eyes fall back down to his phone.

 **_Okumura Haru 16:10  
_ ** _Does Mako-chan seem strange to you?_

“Hey, we're in the middle of a performance!” Futaba's fist bumps against his head as she shouts at him through her microphone. “No phones! I don't want you taking videos!” Her voice breaks at the last word, as if the very idea gives her chills.

“I'm just looking for songs!” He laughs. She pouts at him but gives it up and goes back to performing. She and Ryuji are projecting their voices as loud as they possibly can, jumping around and swinging their heads back and forth like punk rockers. It's a good thing a room this big was available to them.

Akira lowers the brightness on his phone for discretion purposes and replies to the text.

 **_Kurusu Akira 16:10  
_ ** _She doesn't seem very happy to see me._

He peeks at Haru again when he feels her move. She's facing away from him, looking down at her hip, which is covered by her coat. His phone buzzes again. He turns the buzzer off from then on so Futaba won't notice.

 **_Okumura Haru 16:11  
_ ** _She's been extremely busy over the last few weeks, I haven't seen her since we got back from your hometown. Now she's acting completely different._

 **_Okumura Haru 16:11  
_ ** _I wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one who was worrying about her._

That's definitely strange. Akira tries to be as discreet as Haru when he responds.

 **_Kurusu Akira 16:12  
_ ** _Sounds weird. Did she say what she was doing?_

 **_Okumura Haru 16:12  
_ ** _No. She said she was helping her sister with something._

 **_Okumura Haru 16:13  
_ ** _Ryuji said they had a “heart-to-heart” while we were bringing you to Leblanc. I don't understand why she won't tell me about it if she can even tell Ryuji and Yusuke._

 **_Kurusu Akira 16:13  
_ ** _I don't want to sound rude, Haru, but you seem a little angry with her._

It takes Haru a while to respond. For a moment she doesn’t seem to be typing, just thinking. Akira waits patiently. Then he feels her shift again to type.

 **_Okumura Haru 16:14  
_ ** _You're probably right. She's my closest friend, I want her to be able to tell me anything. It hurts to know that there are people who know what she's feeling and I don't._

Painful memories surface again, and Akira is forced to shove them back down. He can relate to that a little too much.

 **_Kurusu Akira 16:14  
_ ** _I know that feeling. But I don't think it will make you feel better to be bitter with her about it. If you give her some space, she'll probably come around._

 **_Kurusu Akira 16:15  
_ ** _If you have faith in your friendship, she will definitely come around._

 **_Kurusu Akira 16:15  
_ ** _I'd like to know why she seems so afraid of me, too. But I won't pressure her about it._

Despite the noise, he can hear Haru's sigh. It must have gotten through to her.

 **_Okumura Haru 16:16  
_ ** _You're right. I'll just try to be normal around her so she knows that she can still talk to me. Thank you, Akira-kun. That really helps me._

Akira gives her a reassuring pat on the knee. She smiles at him and takes her hand out from under her coat, returning her attention to Ryuji's enthusiastic air guitar solo. She seems to be back to her old self now. But man, he thinks, they got through that whole conversation and the same song still hasn’t ended. The Featherman theme must be _really_ long. He looks at the nearest touch pad to read the song list. Turns out the song had already ended, and now they were singing it _a second time_.

He chances one more glance at Makoto. She's on her phone as well, and strangely enough, she's allowing Yusuke to peek at her screen, or maybe she just hasn't noticed him prying. Her face is even whiter than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys know that feeling when you're writing a character and you think you know them, and then suddenly they become their own person and do something so weird that you're like "Oh, ok, I guess I have no control over you now"?
> 
> That's what happened with this Principal character and now I'm scared of him.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s638IMetB9I
> 
> The next chapter will be very Akechi-focused because he hasn't had much of an opportunity to narrate yet. I'm starting to realize how difficult it is to write from the perspective of someone with amnesia, but I'll do my best!


	3. L’Impératrice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro challenges Sae's lies, and Makoto faces her greatest fear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you all so much for your kind words on the last chapter! Unfortunately, this will be the last update before the semester kicks in and I have less time to write. 
> 
> Thanks so much to [fineinthemorning](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fineinthemorning/profile) for being my beta for this chapter! Literally a goddess, please go check her out because she's amazing!!

The car ride home is absolute torture.

Sae is in a horrid mood; that much was already clear when her claws dug into Goro's thin arm and roughly dragged him away from Kozuke Academy. Now they're sitting next to each other in a tiny car that's barely moving in the city traffic, the air between them so thick it fills Goro’s lungs and keeps him silent. Sae's gaze sends daggers at the other cars on the road, and with every red light her knuckles whiten around the steering wheel.

They haven't looked at each other once since leaving the school. At first it was Goro’s fear that kept his gaze averted, but now it's the frustration building in his chest. Why is she treating him like a burden all of a sudden? _“And don't talk back to me.”_ Those harsh words ring through him, pushing steam to his ears. He was having a wonderful conversation with his new homeroom teacher when Sae interrupted them.

Sasaki-sensei was so kind and gentle with him, minding his boundaries but also sparking his interest with friendly topics of conversation about the school. She told him about the other students and teachers, and what kinds of clubs she recommended he join, as well as how impressed she was by his quick-wit when he was told he'd be taking an English language class. Apparently she was also one of the English teachers, as English was her first language. She expressed excitement over showing him the Kozuke Communication Village, where speaking Japanese was “forbidden” and the foreign students were always available for conversation.

She was the first real stranger Goro had the opportunity to be alone with-- the first who wasn't a doctor or a nurse asking him prodding questions like _“How did you sleep last night?”_ or _“Do you remember your birth date?”_ On top of that, the idea of having a place exclusively made for meeting foreign students excited him. Whenever he thinks about talking to other Japanese students his age, he feels a swarm of angry bees in his stomach, threatening to make him vomit. When he mentioned his nerves to Sasaki-sensei, she noted that a lot of transfer students prefer making friends with foreigners rather than other Japanese students. She reasoned this is because transfer students feel very out-of-place themselves, and they feel foreign students can relate to that feeling the most. _“With your situation being like it is, Niijima-kun, I think you might be feeling the same thing to a more serious degree. One could say you’re a transfer student in life itself.”_

Goro isn't sure whether she hit the nail on the head or not, but her explanation certainly resonated with him.

He can still feel a hint of pain at the spot where Sae's fierce grip forced him back to the car. He rubs that spot, his arms folded tightly across his chest and his head leaning against the window as he stares out at the Shinjuku traffic. Seething anger rises as the silence between him and his sister persists.

It isn’t long before his contempt finally gets the better of him. He can't fight the urge to say something in a tone he knows Sae will _not_ take kindly to.

“I want to stay enrolled at Kozuke.”

Sae's fist slams on the horn as the car in front of her screeches to a stop, forcing her to hit the brakes. “Fucking idiot!” she hisses. Goro winces away from her, but his frustration rises back up quickly and he's able to gather himself, giving her a serious expression even though she isn't looking at him.

“Sae--”

“We’re not having this conversation right now, Goro. We’re in the _middle of traffic,_ so just let me focus!” Sae’s words come out too quick and too harsh. Goro suspects she’s making an excuse to shut him up, so he continues.

“Tell me what happened!”

Once again, Sae hits the horn with a heavy fist, but this time for no discernable reason. The cars around her honk back in annoyance. If Goro had a horn, he’d be blasting it in this woman’s ear. “Stop treating me like a child! I deserve to know!”

“Of course I'm going to treat you like a child; you _are_ a child,” Sae corrects him pointedly. “Makoto may be in University, but she's a child too. I'm responsible for taking care of both of you and keeping you out of danger, so what I say goes. Is that clear?”

“How can I accept that if you won't tell me what happened?!” Goro stares at her incredulously.

Sae purses her lip and sighs, the hard edge to her voice easing a bit. “Principal Mayoshi overstepped his bounds. He's a slimy, condescending asshole,” her teeth grind at the thought of him. “I can’t guarantee it’s safe for you to go to school there.”

“What did he say?”

“Did you not hear me? If I say it's not safe, then it's not safe!” The edge returns just as quickly as it left. “You don't need to know the details. Just do as I say and let it go!”

This time there's no response. Sae breathes out a sigh of relief and focuses on the road, which seems to be clearing up. Goro looks down to the car's dashboard and raises a hand to his chin. The gears are turning in his mind, trying to find some way to retaliate so Sae will take him seriously. He may be an amnesiac, but he's not a young child nor an idiot. When that thought crossed his mind, something else occurs to him: something _major._ He turns back to Sae, his eyes filled with suspicion, but focused enough to study her reaction to his next words. “You're hiding something from me.”

Traffic takes a sudden halt again. Sae has to slam on the breaks, almost sending Goro’s head into the dashboard, but this time she doesn’t hit the horn; her hands are too busy gripping the steering wheel. “That’s not it, I'm just… I need you to listen to me.”

“I think you're hiding something,” Goro continues. Truthfully, this isn’t easy for him to say. His gut and his heart tug him in two different directions; his heart wants to put his trust in Sae and let her handle things so he doesn’t have to while his gut just wants _the truth._ He can’t hold back his suspicion. “And Principal Mayoshi… he must have said something about whatever you’re trying to hide. That's the only reason I can think of why you refuse to tell me.”

Sae doesn’t say a word. She’s clearly finished with the conversation by the way she shakes her head. Goro leans in and prods further, “Is it something I knew about before I lost my memory? I hardly know anything about you now.”

“Goro, just _stop.”_

Her voice cracks just a hair. He sits up straight again, looking at his hands folded in his lap. What just came over him? He feels guilt pool in his chest; he doesn't know what to say. Sae let's out a long, exasperated sigh. Traffic lightens up a bit, and the car begins moving at a decent pace. They should be close to the apartment by now.

“I used to be a prosecutor.”

Goro's head shoots up, his mouth hanging open. Sae takes a breath before she continues. “I did a lot of… really bad things for the sake of success. At first I got into the business because I was inspired by Dad, but… after a while I realized just how corrupt the justice system was and what little impact I could make without ruining my career. I'd do anything to win a case, even when I knew the defendant wasn't guilty. I'd forge evidence if I had to-- anything to find some way to tie the pieces together. Being a woman in a position like that didn’t help either. I wanted to prove myself to everyone, since they all looked down on me.”

Silence falls over them. Goro's expression hasn't changed. When it's clear she isn't going to continue explaining, he furrows his brow. “But… now you're a defense attorney. What changed?”

It takes Sae a moment to answer. “You and Makoto had something to do with it. I one way or another, I guess you can say I had a change of heart thanks to both of you.”

A change of heart… That feels familiar to Goro, but he only thinks about it for a second before he starts digging into his sister's words. She was once a prosecutor, one that went to great lengths to emerge victorious in the courtroom. She must have quite the record. “So,” he begins to stroke his chin again. “Principal Mayoshi had something on you, something that you did when you were a prosecutor?” He waits a moment, allowing Sae time to interject. To his disappointment, she doesn’t even react. “Am I wrong?”

Sae gives him a warning glare out of the corner of her eye, careful not to divert her attention from the road. “Goro, this really has nothing to do with you, so let it go.”

“You said before that Kozuke wasn't safe for me. If what I said is right, you're just out to protect yourself.” The accusation is harsh, he admits to himself. Sae really does seem to want to protect him from something. With this little jab he hopes to find out just _what_ that something is.

“That is _not_ what it is!” It worked; Sae sounds hurt. “I just don't trust someone like that with you, especially if he thinks he can blackmail me. I don't give in to that kind of bullshit.”

“Did he actually threaten you?”

Sae's mouth twists in distaste. “Not directly. That's why I don't like him.”

Things are starting to come together. Goro considers his options carefully. He really did enjoy his tour around Kozuke, but is insisting to attend the school worth it if the Principal has something on his older sister? The school itself feels perfect for him, and Sasaki-sensei seemed to understand him so well… He needs to at least see her again. On top of all that, there’s something about the way Sae _so badly_ wants him to drop this topic… It’s true, isn’t it? She’s hiding something from him, and despite his reservations against diving head-first into his past, his instincts are telling him to find out whether or not he can really trust his sister. If he can convince her to send him to Kozuke, he might be able to find something out. “Sae…” he begins, but doesn’t get to finish because Sae’s voice comes out again, and it’s much softer than before.

“Look. Things are complicated, but…” she lets out a drained sigh. “I said I can’t _guarantee_ it’s safe for you to go there. Not that it just isn’t.” A beat. “The truth is, it’s either the safest place for you or the most dangerous. I have no idea which it is.”

That’s not at all what he expected her to say. He really thought she was adamant about finding another school, but maybe the situation is more complex than that. “Then we should give it a chance, shouldn’t we?”

“What?” Sae raises an eyebrow, turning her head a bit to study him. “Goro, I know you liked the school, but didn’t you hear what I said? I can’t just send you--”

“The semester begins _tomorrow,_ Sae. I don’t want to be the mid-semester transfer student…” Goro knows his reasoning is flimsy, but he can’t just admit his true reasoning to her. He’s nearly begging now. Sae lets out a short groan.

“I will _think_ about it.”

They’re both quiet when they enter the apartment, going their separate ways so Sae can make some important calls and reply to some emails. Goro decides against joining her in the living room and retreats to his bedroom, leaving the door open a bit to prevent feeling secluded; for some reason he hates being completely alone during the day. There’s a laptop on his desk, a brand new one Sae bought for him because his old computer was too “dangerous” for him to look through. He grabs it and moves to his bed to do some research.

It doesn’t take much time for him to find some preliminary information. The man’s name is everywhere the second he searches it.

Mayoshi Tatsuya, age 58. “Former Vice Principal of Kozuke Academy” is listed in his faculty profile, right above “Principal” of the same institute. There’s a few articles with interviews and statements from him, most of them revolving around some embezzlement scandal involving the former Principal. Apparently, Mayoshi was the one who uncovered the crime. If he can uncover a scandal like that, then it makes sense that he could have something on Sae. Digging a little deeper, he finds an obituary for his wife of twenty years. She died without giving him any children. Not exactly useful information, but making a profile on this man might help him in the future.

Goro stops for a moment. He should just let this go… but the itch to move further persists, and he gives in without much thought. He makes a new document on his computer and begins taking notes.

 

* * *

 

The Phantom Thieves are completely devoid of energy by the time their three hours of singing are up.

Once again, Akira finds his friends to be an endless source of amusement. Ryuji and Futaba were the most lively performers of the afternoon, and now they’re barely speaking in fear of hurting their voices further. Ann's arms hang dead in front of her, exhausted from using two tambourines at the same time for three hours straight. Yusuke, who didn't recognize most of the songs that were chosen, had almost completely filled a cheap sketchbook with drawings of his friends in the moment. He even shaded them so they were silhouetted by the light of the television in the darkened room. Akira’s favorite is one of Futaba dabbing. _“I did it ironically, I swear!”_ Meanwhile, Morgana's paws covered his ears through most of the session, and by the end he claims he'll never join these hooligans for karaoke again.

Then there's Makoto and Haru.

Makoto is still distant from both Akira and Haru. She keeps her distance from Futaba as well, but the spritely girl doesn't seem to notice or care; she's too distracted from the excitement of her first ever karaoke session. Akira notes the way Makoto keeps peering at her phone with anxious creases in her forehead. She hides it when she notices him. Whatever is on there seems to be something she's willing to show Yusuke, but not him. What could she have told them at Leblanc that she wouldn't want him knowing? Makoto was one of his strongest confidants last semester; she told him almost everything that was bothering her, and their interactions are what inspired her to study and become a police commissioner. Surely that kind of relationship would form a more trusting bond, right? So why does she look at him like he's a threat?

Outside the karaoke building, he notices Haru approach Makoto with a hopeful skip in her step. The others are having a conversation of their own, but Akira ignores them in favor of keeping an eye on the two girls as Haru takes Makoto’s hand. “Mako-chan, do you have plans for dinner?” She seemingly ignores Makoto's flinch of surprise, as if she'd been snuck up on. “I was hoping you'd come to Harajuku with me. We can find a cute restaurant there. I want to hear all about your University!”

Makoto's face falls, and Haru’s does with it. Their hands slowly fall apart. It seems the answer is clear. “Sorry, Haru-chan, but I-I'm not feeling so well…” she folds her arms under her chest, her eyes wandering in every direction except for Haru’s. “I think I'm just going to head home.”

Haru nods solemnly, but suddenly she lights up again, “Do you want me to call a ride for us? I'll see you home. If you're not feeling well, you can relax in the car. I'm a little tired, myself.”

“Um, I-I get carsick really easy, so I don't think I can do that!” Makoto's voice wavers enough to tell she's clearly making excuses. Haru doesn't seem miss it; her shoulders slump down in defeat, even as Makoto gives her a light but hurried hug. “I'll text you tomorrow, maybe we can meet up after my last class!” Makoto sounds like she's trying to liven Haru up again, but has little effect. Haru nods simply, the disappointment never leaving her face. Makoto turns to the direction of the train station and starts to shuffle away.

Ann perks up as Makoto passes her, quickly dropping her conversation with Ryuji and Futaba to get her attention. “Mako-chan, hold up!” She extends a hand and catches up to her. “Are you going home already?”

Makoto smiles sadly. “Yeah, m-my stomach's a little upset,” she acknowledges the rest of the group apologetically. “I won't be far, so if you guys want to hang out another day just text me, alright? I'll see you later.”

“Wait!” Ann grabs her arm suddenly, but lets go at her startled jump. “You said you're sick. Don't you want someone to go with you?” She glances at Haru, who looks a little helpless. “Haru and I can go, right Haru-chan?”

The girl in question perks up. “Oh, of course!” Her voice is back to its usual delighted pitch.

Makoto gives Ann a look of betrayal. “That's… pretty out of the way for both of you,” she tries to reason.

“Nonsense, we won't take no for an answer!” Ann's arm loops around Makoto's, much to the older girl's dismay. Ann's free hand beckons to Haru, who happily rushes forward and takes Makoto's other arm. “See you all later!”

The remaining Thieves wave as Makoto is dragged away. They start heading back to Yongen-Jaya.

Once the two groups are far enough apart, Futaba nudges Yusuke's side. “Hey, Inari,” her tone is curious. “What's up with Makoto? I saw you peeking at her phone earlier.” Ah, so Futaba did notice. She's a great actress.

Yusuke doesn't seem phased by the question, but his arms do fold around his lower torso the way they do when he's in deep thought. “She has been overwhelmed these past few weeks helping her sister. That's truly all I know.” His voice is cool, calm and unwavering. Futaba narrows her eyes at him like he's yanking her chain and averts her attention to Ryuji. “What did you guys talk about while we were gone?”

Ryuji stiffens a bit. His ability to keep secrets is, well… “I dunno. Why're you askin’ me?” He almost stammers.

“God, you're _such_ a bad actor!” Futaba groans and nudges him in the ribs. “Look, I get that it’s private or whatever, but it’s just weird because I feel like you two are the last people she’d confide in about anything. Ann I understand. But you and Yusuke? No dice.”

Yusuke gives Ryuji a sharp look, and Ryuji’s shoulders slump, shoving his hands in his pockets and sighing heavily. “Yeah, I feel pretty bad for letting that heart-to-heart thing slip out,” he confesses. “Me and my big mouth… Now everyone’s askin’ her about it, and Haru’s all upset.” His sudden honesty takes Akira by surprise, but he feels a twinge of pride in his friend and gives him an encouraging pat on the back.

Futaba raises her eyebrows at him. “Wow, Skull. I’m impressed by your observation skills,” she admits. “Actually acknowledging the consequences of your actions? That’s a big change.” She clasps her arms behind her back and turns to Yusuke. “So are you gonna tell us what’s up?”

“Futaba.” Akira warns her gently.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to hear it from Makoto herself,” Yusuke replies. “She trusted us to keep her transgressions to ourselves, and I’m not inclined to betray her. Perhaps she feels she can be more honest in a smaller group. Try inviting her somewhere with little company.”

“Don’t probe her about it, though,” Akira jumps in, worried Futaba will get the wrong message. “Just give her time.”

“Alright, alright,” Futaba kicks the ground as she walks in step with the boys. “I guess I’m just used to just _getting_ information, not waiting around for it.”

Ryuji seems to remember something. “Hey, that reminds me. Did you ever get rid of those bugs at Leblanc?” Futaba freezes in place, earning suspicious glares from the boys.

“Okay, I’ll delete it all when I get back! I swear!” She throws her hands in the air, surrendering without a moment to spare.

The conversation about Makoto ends, shifting to even more discussion about school beginning tomorrow. It warrants a lot of discussion, of course, considering it’s Futaba’s first ever day of high school. Akira couldn’t be prouder, and he makes a mental note to tell her that at some point, because as of now he finds himself unable to contribute much to the conversation. His thoughts wander away and focus on what Haru told him earlier, about Makoto being MIA for over a week. Did something happen during the road trip? Maybe Ryuji said something to offend her. The last teammate the brash boy hurt like that was Morgana, and that resulted in a three-day goose chase around the Metaverse. It’s the only reason he can think of that Makoto would even talk to Ryuji about something personal.

He has to stop himself before he speculates too much. He already told Haru that he was going to wait for her to say something, so he should just be patient. But what is this strange feeling in his gut? It’s twisting at his insides, like it’s trying to warn him about something.

He pulls out his phone and opens up a conversation he hasn’t looked at in weeks: the one between him and Makoto’s sister, Niijima Sae.

 **_Kurusu Akira 20:01  
_ ** _Hey, I’m back in town. We were all hanging out with Makoto today, but she looked pretty sick, so Ann and Haru are taking her home. We just got out of a karaoke place like 15 min from your apartment. I just wanted to make sure she got back safe._

“Trying to get intel from the sister, are we?” Akira jolts as Morgana peers over his shoulder. Even though he’s used to carrying this cat in his bag at all times, he had been so quiet Akira almost completely forgot he existed. “Pretty sneaky, Joker.”

“I’m just trying to look out for her,” Akira’s excuse is rather weak, he admits. “You’ve certainly been quiet since we left. I thought you would have jumped at the opportunity to criticize Ryuji for his little slip up earlier.”

Morgana throws his paws up onto Akira’s shoulder, his tail swishing high in the air. “We all know Ryuji can’t keep a secret. I didn’t wanna dive for the low-hanging fruit.”

His phone buzzes, and to Akira’s surprise, Sae has already responded.

 **_Niijima Sae 20:02  
_ ** _Welcome back, Kurusu-kun. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll make her some tea for when she gets back. Don’t you have school starting soon? I’m surprised you’re not at home._

 **_Kurusu Akira 20:02  
_ ** _I’m actually finishing up school at Shujin._

He doesn’t get an immediate reply, so he pockets his phone again. They’re at the station anyway, so he and Futaba part ways with Ryuji and Yusuke. “See ya tomorrow!” Ryuji waves with a grin. It’s nice hearing him say that. After all, his parents could have easily prevented him from returning to Tokyo, and if that happened he might never have heard those words from Ryuji or any of his other friends again. It’s relief to be back.

The next message from Sae comes while he and Futaba are on the train to Yongen-Jaya.

 **_Niijima Sae 20:12  
_ ** _That’s great to hear. Good luck, and thank you for letting me know about Makoto. I’ll have her text you when she gets back if you’re that worried about her._

 **_Kurusu Akira 20:12  
_ ** _No problem. Have a good night._

 

* * *

 

“Haru, please. Just say something…” Makoto begs, but Haru hasn’t moved for quite some time.

Rather than heading in the direction of Makoto’s apartment complex, Ann veered them over to a moderate-sized French cafe with very few occupants. Makoto knew immediately what Ann was trying to encourage her to do, and she shook her head vigorously in the girl’s direction because _no,_ no _way_ was this a good time. She tried complaining of stomach pain, but not even Haru was buying it by that point; the usually agreeable girl weaved around Makoto’s lie by suggesting she have some ginger tea, which they surely have at the cafe. “Ginger is the most effective natural treatment for both stomach pain and nausea,” she explained helpfully. Makoto’s mouth twisted in disgust. She _hates_ ginger-centric flavors. She almost wanted to claim she was allergic, but Haru already knows she isn’t because they took that culinary course together in January.

They sat in the corner by the window at the table furthest from any others. Ann gave Haru a look that apparently was enough to send a complex message because Haru immediately offered to wait in line for them. Unsurprisingly, ginger tea is on the menu, much to Makoto’s dismay, and all three of them were getting it. Once she left, Makoto lost her composure. “Are you _serious_ , Ann?! I can’t do this right now, I don’t even know what I’m going to say yet!”

“I know, but Ryuji already kind of spilled the beans that you aren’t doing so well, and Haru is clearly worried about you,” Ann explained, and Makoto dropped her head into her hands for what felt like the millionth time this week. Ann takes her hand away from her face and grips it tight. “The longer you wait, Makoto, the worse it will be when she hears it. Just trust me.”

Ann was right, and Makoto hates that she was right. Because now they’re all sitting silently across from each other, three cups of untouched tea steaming in front of them, and Makoto’s heart is about to burst. The world is crumbling to pieces around her and she can’t do anything about it because Haru still hasn’t said anything and--

“I forgive you for waiting to tell me, Mako-chan.”

A heavy breath releases all the tension in Makoto’s shoulders, but her heart pangs with guilt at the fractured sound in her friend’s voice. Their eyes can’t meet because Haru’s gaze is fixed on the reflection in her teacup. “I’m very glad you didn’t tell me at Leblanc. I shouldn’t have tried to pressure you.”

“It’s fine, you didn’t know,” Makoto’s voice is broken as well, and slightly hoarse from another fit of sobbing that started up during her explanation. She isn’t used to getting so emotional over things, but the thought of losing Haru’s trust is so devastating it’s impossible not to cry. She sniffs and tries not to look pathetic as she uses a napkin to wipe her nose.

Ann, who had her hand resting over Makoto’s the entire time, leans forward, trying to gauge Haru’s expression. “How do you feel, Haru-chan? Are you alright?”

Haru shakes her head lightly. “No. I feel sad,” she begins, and another pang rings through Makoto’s chest. “I was sad when Akechi-kun died on that boat, but now I’m sad because he’s alive. I wonder why that is…”

“You did say you sympathized with him,” Ann notes. “Maybe, because you understood him, you didn’t actually want him to die.”

“I understood his _feelings,”_ Haru corrects her in a tone that’s far too sharp for her delicate voice. It reverts back rather quickly, though, replaced by an apologetic glance. “I understand wanting to get back at the adults that took from you. But, I don’t understand why innocent people had to die for him to do it. I don’t understand why my father had to die in order for him to get back at Shido. It sickens me,” she hugs her arms close to her chest. “I pitied him because I saw he was just a weak, selfish child who wanted attention. Then he sacrificed himself for us, and I thought… Alright. This is your penance. You’ve taken responsibility for your actions instead of putting the blame on others and hurting more people. I was sad, yes, but I was also at peace with everything. Now I find out he’s alive, and he doesn’t remember any of what he did…” She knits her eyebrows. “And not only that, but Mako-chan and her sister are protecting him, and lying to him… I’m just so disappointed.”

Haru’s honesty is brutal. Makoto feels the merciless axe strike her heart, the truth of her and her sister’s hypocrisy bleeding from the wound and flooding her chest with guilt. As the pain moves from her chest to her stomach, she considers maybe she should be drinking the tea in front of her. Ginger is the most effective natural treatment for stomach pain and nausea, after all. And she’s feeling a hefty amount of both right now.

Ann comes to her rescue. Makoto makes a mental note to somehow thank her for her support through all this. “Mako-chan was afraid to tell you because she knew you’d be hurt. She didn’t want to help at first because of how you’d feel about it, but Sae pushed her into it.”

“That’s not… entirely true,” Makoto’s weak voice interjects. “I thought about telling someone. For a moment, when I was at the hospital, I was ready to turn him in before my sister could do anything about it. But…” her gaze goes distant, “If he grew up with a family, or at least people who looked out for him, none of this would have happened, right? And Sae, she could hardly live with herself anymore. She’s convinced she could have done something to help him when they were working together. I don’t know if that’s true, but it made me think about the path he was set on. Some kind of God literally hand-picked him to cause mayhem because he was damaged and alone. That’s just not _fair."_

“Nor is it fair to kill people because you hold resentment towards _one person,”_ Haru’s voice sharpens again, and just like before it quickly settles back to her light, crushed speech. “I understand what you’re saying. Akechi-kun was broken and used. He’s a victim as well, but he _chose_ his path. We gained the ability to travel into the Metaverse and we found a way to get justice without hurting anyone. He gained the ability to travel to the Metaverse and sought ways to hurt people further.”

“I know that,” Makoto laments. “But that’s because he grew up so differently from us. Now he doesn’t even remember growing up. Sae wanted to… Sae and I _both_ wanted to make sure he doesn’t fall back into that mindset.”

Haru considers those words before sending her an uncharacteristic glare. “You mean you’re trying to brainwash him.”

“What? That’s not--”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing if you keep this up,” Haru’s gaze softens as she leans forward. Her palms rest in the center of the table, almost like she’s begging. “Mako-chan, I _hate_ Akechi-kun for what he did to my father, but even I can see that what you’re doing is dishonest and unfair to him. We defeated Yaldabaoth for the sake of free will, yet you’re taking away Akechi-kun’s freedom to choose his own fate.”

Makoto is silent, and Haru waits patiently for her to respond. Her eyes fall to the tea that has certainly gone cold by now. “We just wanted to give him a better life…” her voice is small. “When I look at him now, it’s hard for me to believe he could ever go back to being that person… His smile is so genuine now. When I ask him how he’s feeling, he’s honest with me. I’ve made so many stupid mistakes in front of him, and he hasn’t judged me for any of it. And… he really does believe he’s our brother. He has no real connection to our father, yet when we told him about his death, he mourned with us; he cried in my arms and apologized for losing whatever memories they had together…” She shakes her head slowly. “Besides, even if we wanted to tell him the truth, he’d likely just relapse and forget everything again.”

Haru looks at her quizzically. “How do you know that?”

“We… we don’t, actually. But, it happens to people with retrograde amnesia when it’s caused by psychological trauma,” Makoto recites the words she heard from the hospital's residents.

For a moment, Haru sits with that knowledge. Her demeanor is dissolving, though sadness still lingers in her eyes. “I…” she pauses again, shifting uncertainly, “I would like to see him.”

Makoto jolts. “What?! Haru--”

“If he sees any of us, it could trigger a relapse,” Ann places a hand on Makoto’s arm to calm her. “We were the last thing he saw before he lost his memory, after all. And Makoto says he’s been muttering about Joker in his sleep. It’s too dangerous.”

Haru tilts her head curiously. “Well, seeing Mako-chan hasn’t done anything to him, has it?”

Ann and Makoto glance at each other. “That’s true…” Ann replies.

“She was on the ship as well, and he still hasn’t been triggered. He hasn’t mentioned anyone else in his sleep, has he?”

Makoto shakes her head, considering that reasoning carefully, “Just Shido.”

“Then maybe you’re overestimating how unstable he is,” Haru places a hand over Makoto’s, earning a small, surprised gasp. Her gaze is so genuine… “Please, Mako-chan. I need to see him. I can't let this go.”

Makoto blinks at her, overtaken by shock, “ _Why,_ Haru?”

“I… I honestly don't know.”

They're both silent. Makoto can’t bring herself to say anything else because the thought of making Haru a promise she can’t keep kills her.

As they leave and continue the walk home, Makoto realizes she has a huge number of missed calls and texts from Sae. Her chest clenches in slight fear.

 **_Sis 20:04  
_ ** _I thought you said Kurusu-kun was back in his hometown? He just texted me saying he’s going to Shujin now._

 **_Sis 20:04  
_ ** _I don’t want him anywhere near our building. I know you probably can’t do much about it because you’re going to University, but please make sure he knows not to come here._

 **_Sis 20:05  
_ ** _Are you really sick? Or was it because of what I sent earlier?_

 **_Sis 20:10  
_ ** _Makoto I need you right now._

 **_Sis 20:21  
_ ** _Where the hell are you? You should be home by now._

 **_Sis 20:24  
_ ** _Kurusu said you were with Takamaki and Okumura. Are they still there? Let them drop you off downstairs when you get back._

The rest were just pleas for Makoto to answer the phone. Each missed call she scrolled through went from ten minutes apart to five to two to one, and suddenly her phone is going off again. Of course, it’s Sae. She asks her friends to wait a moment and answers the phone. “Hey, Sis.”

“It’s about time!” Sae’s voice sounds exasperated, “Wait, are you actually sick? You sound nasally.”

Makoto wipes her nose on her sleeve. Her nose is just clogged from crying twice in one day. “I’ll explain when I get home. We’re almost there. Sorry, we were just sitting in a cafe and my phone was in my bag.”

“Okay, I’m just making sure,” Sae says, her voice strangely calm considering all the desperate-sounding messages she sent. “I’ll see you in a bit.” The line goes dead.

The girls are silent as they continue walking. The sun has finally set, but the area they’re in doesn’t light the streets very well. Haru winces as she feels something cold hit the top of her head. “Huh? Is that… rain?” Ann shrieks, covering her head with her bag; none of them brought an umbrella. Steadily, the rain begins to pick up, and very soon they’re sprinting through the streets taking shelter wherever they can. It’s dark and dreary, and Makoto has to correct some of Ann’s wrong turns; in fact they almost pass the building entirely before Makoto stops them. They hurry inside the small overhead area, shivering now that they’re out of the rain.

“You guys stay here. I’ll go talk to my sister. I… really can’t promise anything, though.” The girls nod as Makoto traverses the stairs up to her apartment. Once she reaches the door, she searches through her bag for a set of keys, but suddenly she hears a click and it opens.

“You look cold,” Goro notes with a tinge of concern. He steps aside to let her in.

Makoto gives him a reassuring smile. “Nothing some tea and a warm bath can’t help.” As he shuts the door, she moves to the living room where her sister is furiously typing something on her laptop. She doesn’t even notice Makoto walk in. “And here I thought you were just sitting around waiting for me.”

“I had work to do,” Sae replies curtly. “But I made you tea and-- Oh. You’re all wet.”

“Yeah, the rain kinda snuck up on us,” Makoto rubs the back of her neck and laughs nervously. Sae pays her strange behavior no mind and returns her attention to her work. Makoto tilts her head. Her sister called her at least ten times in the last hour and now she has nothing to say? But then the reason for Sae’s silence suddenly passes her, moving over to the couch and flipping open a book. Of course, they can’t talk freely with him around. She’ll have to think of a different way to bring this up.

Luckily, it’s raining outside.

“My friends walked me over here, but now it’s raining and they don’t have umbrellas.”

Sae’s gaze flicks to her. It’s as if Makoto lit a match, and now the flame is staring her dead in the face burning a hole right through her skull. “Excuse me?”

“And you didn’t bring them up?” Goro seems surprised. Sae’s eyes snap back and forth between the two of them for a moment. When the sisters’ gazes meet, Makoto gets a shiver down her spine. It feels like she’s about to be punched.

“No guests past eight o’clock on a school night, Makoto. Just give them one of your old umbrellas.” Her attention diverts back to her work, her fingers tapping with significantly increased fervor. Damn, good comeback. Makoto can’t think of how to out-maneuver her here. She tries to spin up something anyway.

“Their clothes are all wet, so I was going to let them borrow some of mine. They’ll just change in my room and then they’ll go home.”

 _What the hell are you doing?_ Sae mouths at her, but Makoto pretends she didn't see it. There’s no way she can explain things to Sae right now. All she can think about is Haru and Ann standing out in the cold waiting for her to call them up. Haru, who so desperately needs to see the boy who killed her father. She needs that closure, or at least something adjacent to closure. There’s a chance Makoto can give it to her tonight, despite how risky it is. Maybe just being able to _see_ Goro will be enough for her; she doesn't have to be seen by him. She turns around and hurries out the door again, ignoring Sae as she bolts up from her chair. _“Makoto!”_

She trots down the stairs two steps at a time until she rounds the corner to find the girls huddled together for warmth. “You guys can come up now.” They quickly follow her up the stairs, only to find Sae standing in the doorway, glaring daggers at all three of them.

“What is this?” She whispers harshly, checking behind her multiple times to make sure Goro isn’t listening.

“Please. I need to see him.” Haru’s voice is naturally gentle, making it easy for her to whisper while still adding weight to her words. Regardless, Sae isn’t moved. She crosses her arms and turns to Makoto.

“What did I say.” It’s a statement, not a question.

“I’m sorry!” Makoto is wringing her hands together nervously, her eyes darting around to avoid the imposing pierce of her sister’s. “I wanted to ask you about it outright. I won’t let them in if you say no, but I just… Haru…” She can’t think of a way to continue the sentence. The figure before her reminds her too much of the old Sae-- the one who would treat her like a useless burden. Maybe she’s right this time. What she’s doing here could undo everything they’ve worked for.

Haru almost pipes up again, but a sharp raise of Sae’s hand clams her up. Ann puts a hand on her arm, a gesture that’s a stew of worry for her friend and fear of the woman standing before them. They’re all ready for that menacing hand to strike, but the smack never comes. Sae’s fingers curl into a fist, her eyes squeezed shut as she inhales slowly. “Makoto, let them change in your room and show them out. You get _one_ umbrella. I don’t want to hear a _word_ from any of you in the hallway, and if he sees either of you, you are _banned_ from this property. Understood?”

Three short nods send her back inside. They recoil as the door slams shut.

Haru’s gaze falls to her feet. “I’m sorry, Mako-chan…” Her voice is even weaker than it was at the cafe. “I shouldn’t have made you do this.”

“It’s fine,” Makoto murmurs as she opens the door again. The entrance to the living room is closed, of course. They can go to Makoto’s room without running into Sae… or Goro. “I shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up.”

Haru gives her a sympathetic smile. In that moment, Makoto feels they're finally on the same page.

 

* * *

 

Evening activity isn’t a common issue for Yongen-Jaya, especially in the area surrounding Cafe Leblanc. While it’s not in a residential area, all the other shops and stores tend to close early, leaving only the cafe and the onsen open after the sun goes down. It hurts business, but it also allows Akira some much-needed alone time in his makeshift home. After Sojiro leaves him to close up, he has time to chill behind the counter and practice making different blends. Coffee-making was a skill that before now Akira never thought he would take interest in; he’s pleasantly surprised by how much he loves it.

Usually, Morgana would be nagging him to go to bed already, but Futaba has custody of the cat for the night for reasons she refused to disclose. Akira just has to hold onto hope that whatever she has planned doesn't classify as animal abuse. Besides, now he can stay up and reflect for a bit, something he forgot how to enjoy with Morgana around. There are no customers to tend to since it's raining torrentially outside, so he has free reign of the shop. He can look forward to a productive night.

Then the bell rings, and his expectations sink to the floor. An evening customer? Who goes out for coffee in the evening, let alone during a storm? He sighs lightly so the patron won't hear him and turns around, only to stop short.

“Oh, was I mistaken? I hoped you were still open.” Usually Akechi Goro's smiles are pleasant and plastic, but the one he gives Akira is fairly meek, maybe even embarrassed. He's wearing his usual attire, tan uniform jacket and dark dress pants, all soaked through and dripping wet from the rain. He’s holding his personalized suitcase above his head, but it clearly didn't do much to save his hair, which is matted against his forehead. Akira catches sight of his arms shivering ever so slightly as he lowers them.

Akira can only stare for the moment. While Akechi is a regular, it's not often they’re alone in the cafe together; Sojiro almost always served the detective by the time Akira returned from his daily activities. Afterward, they'd chat from across the counter for a few minutes before Akechi went on his way. Sometimes they'd play a quick game of chess when no other customers were around, but Sojiro or Morgana would always be somewhere nearby. This time they're alone. _Completely_ alone. After everything that has come to light over the last few days, Akira's not sure how safe it is to be alone with this boy.

But instead he throws all self-preservation out the window and shakes his head. “Nah, you're good.”

Akechi lets out a breath Akira didn't notice him holding and approaches a booth. He almost sits, but worry flickers across his face and he steps back. “I shouldn't get your seats wet,” he says.

Akira gestures to one of the wooden chairs on the other side of the counter. “Sit here then.” Akechi seems taken aback.

“It’s getting quite late, I don't want to interrupt your evening… I only intended to wait out the rain,” he looks from Akira to the door a few times. “I apologize, I should have just taken the train. I'll be going--”

“Wait!” Akira's voice is oddly alarmed. He doesn't know where that came from. “I mean… Seriously, you're fine. Take a seat.”

Akechi seems hesitant. He takes a moment to consider. Akira pays him no mind and continues brewing a cup of Hawaiian Kona, a silent gesture that Akechi's presence doesn't bother him in the slightest. Strangely enough, Akira finds that he really doesn't mind, despite knowing this boy's motives. Even more strange is that something jumps in his chest when he hears Akechi move closer to him. Whether it triggered from fear or excitement, he can't quite tell. Whatever feeling it is, he swallows it down. “You can be my guinea pig for this blend.”

Akechi raises an eyebrow as he places his suitcase on the countertop. “It's experimental, then?”

“With my training it may as well be,” Akira shrugs. He's used plenty of different beans before, but Sojiro never even mentioned Kona Beans to him before. He hopes they’re not too expensive for him to be messing with. If he's doing this all wrong, he has no way of knowing unless he gets someone to try it, and Akechi is fairly knowledgeable himself when it comes to coffee. “You’re the expert. Go ahead and take a guess at what this is.” He prepares a cup and slides it over to Akechi.

“Need I remind you, I've only read about these things. My knowledge is strictly trivia-based,” he lifts the cup. “But I'll see what I can do.”

One sip is enough to send Akechi into a coughing fit. He nearly drops the cup as he chokes into his fist. Akira suppresses the urge to laugh. “Oof. That bad, huh?”

“Well--” Akechi almost replies, but another fit of choking interrupts him. “It’s certainly… a _complex_ flavor… I can't quite place it.”

Akira can't fight his amused smile. “It's Hawaiian Kona. Or, it's supposed to be. I guess some beans don't blend the same way.” He's playing up his ignorance.

“They _certainly_ don't,” Akechi shakes his head, slightly incredulous. “I assumed a barista would already know something like that.”

This time Akira can't hold back his laughter; he's reminded of the Russian Takoyaki Incident from just a few days ago. There's something about getting a genuine reaction out of this boy that delights him. It's almost impossible to get a rise out of him with words, but surprising his taste buds seems to always do the trick. The detective spits the remaining flavor into a napkin as he's relieved of his cup. Akira dumps the rest of the blend down the drain.

Something changes once he turns back to Akechi. The pace of time becomes… uneven, like a fluctuating heartbeat. Things are moving at strange intervals. Akira can't quite remember what they talk about from then on, but he knows that every time he glances at the clock it seems to jump ahead by at least thirty minutes. It's already passed closing time and he can hear his voice insist something to Akechi, but he doesn't understand his own words. Akechi says something in return, but Akira doesn't have time to process it before he realizes they're not in the cafe anymore, but standing in the attic. Faint morning light pours in from the slits in the curtain. Akechi's face, eyes impossible to read, closes in on him. Or is it the other way around? He feels himself connect with cold, unmoving lips and his mind fogs up, lost in the moment he wasn't prepared for. He feels Akechi try to push him away, but his arms snake around the boy's waist and he moves his chin to rest on his potential killer’s shoulder.

More words, all of them so foreign to him, yet he still speaks to Akechi as if he fully understands them. He feels himself smile in relief at something, but when he looks at Akechi's face, it's stained with tears. Akira can only discern a few words.

_“You… help… too far…”_

A spider bites his neck, and Akira jolts awake, his nose almost colliding with a cat standing two inches from his face, nagging him to get up for school.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment if you did, it really helps motivate me to write this one ^^


End file.
